


The Makiri Heir

by Bluerock00



Category: Fate/stay night & Related Fandoms
Genre: Alchemy, Alteration, Dead Shinji Matou, Dead Taiga Fujiwara, Different Servants, Eventually Happier Sakura, F/M, Mage Shirou, Mages, Manipulation, Matou Shirou - Freeform, Not his fault though, RIP Wakame, Unreliable Narrator
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-26
Updated: 2021-02-19
Packaged: 2021-03-06 20:00:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 30,652
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26114557
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bluerock00/pseuds/Bluerock00
Summary: Byakuya Matou and his son Shinji both die in a car crash one night. This leaves Zouken Matou, formerly know as Zolgen Makiri, without anyone to break the Tohsaka child into the mother of a worthy heir and the lesser grail. He will have to fix this quickly.
Relationships: Emiya Shirou/Matou Sakura
Comments: 8
Kudos: 19





	1. Then I'll be a ____________ For You

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys, welcome to The Makiri Heir. I got this idea after learning more about Zouken's old ideals, his dream to create a utopia. That sounds honestly a lot like Shirou's 'world without tears' at the end of UBW, a bit different of course but similar. I hope you enjoy this.

The moon cast an ephemeral glow down to the city below. The air was crisp, but not quite cold yet. The only sounds were the rustling of bushes and the soft breathing of the inhabitants of this town.  
Nighttime in Fuyuki always seemed a bit melancholy to Kiristsugu, but maybe it was how moonlight reminded him of his late wife and the child he left behind. The Einsberns, more specifically Justeaze, may be rat bastards, but he couldn’t bring himself to blame them for his troubles. They may have taken everything from him, promising him the ability to save everyone then so cruelly destroying his dream with Avenger’s corruption. It was their fault but they didn’t know, refused to know even. But they at least had given him his Illya and Iri. Even if they didn’t let him see her, at least she was alive. Unlike...  
“Old man?” Called out a young voice. Shirou, the one person Kiritsugu was actually able to save. Honestly, it was a bit pathetic how much Kiritsugu had gotten attached to the kid. Sure, he loved him like a son, but sometimes Shirou acted a lot more mature than he did.  
“Why’re you crying? Was it the comment about how poorly you cook? I didn’t-”  
Kiritsugu pulled out his handkerchief and began dabbing his eyes. Shit, he really should keep control of himself. He didn’t even hear Shirou open the door to the patio.  
“No, I’m alright, just remembering some things.” He patted Shirou on the back. Focus on the here and now. At least he had Shirou and the Fujimura family, even if that Taiga kid kept trying to put the moves on him. He appreciated her, but Kiritsugu wasn’t quite ready to move on from Iri.  
“Well come in soon alright, you might get a cold.” This was the third time Kiritsugu stayed up this late just staring at the moon, and Shirou was starting to worry. His adoptive father already didn’t have good health after all.  
“Don’t worry, I’ll be fine. Why don’t you come and join me though, I could use the company.” The young boy nodded and walked over to sit next to him. Things were quiet for a while.  
“The fire still bothers me. I dream about it every night, everyone dying around me and you finding me in the rubble.” Kiritsugu hadn’t known that, but unfortunately he couldn’t really help Shirou with that. He had the same problem, and comforting Shirou might just backfire.  
Shirou turned to him, “But you saved me, gave me hope. You gave me everything I have now, so please don’t beat yourself up so much.”  
The silence stretched on. Kiritsugu was in shock. How did Shirou guess? Was he so obvious that even a child Shirou’s age could guess what he was thinking? Shirou was perceptive though, he had to admit that. Kiritsugu coughed to hide his embarrassment. Crap, was that blood?!  
He knew he didn’t have much time left, but was that curse really progressing that quickly? Was he really going to leave Shirou with no father, the boy’s eyes were still nearly as empty as when he found him! He needed a goal, a purpose, something to direct his life without Kiritsugu.  
A quiet but heavy voice rang out, just as Shirou got up to go back inside and get some sleep. “When I was your age, I really wanted to be a hero of justice, a superhero.”  
Shirou turned back to Kiritsugu intrigued. “What do you mean you wanted to? Did you give up?”  
Kiritsugu let out a small chuckle, the emotions behind it clear. “Yeah, I guess so. Once you reach a certain age, you just can’t do it anymore. I wished I realized that sooner.”  
The red haired boy gathered himself after a couple minutes. “Then I guess I’ll have to become one for you! Just leave it to me!”  
Kiritsugu smiled, patting his head. He was gla-

PAIN, EXCRUCIATING PAIN.  
Shirley: DEAD  
Norikata: DEAD  
Natalia: DEAD  
…  
Irisviel: Dead  
REGRET REGRET REGRET REGRET REGRET REGRET

He could put that pain on Shirou no matter what.  
“No,”  
“What?” Shirou looked quizzically up at Kiritsugu.  
“No, I can’t let you do that.” Kiritsugu wrapped his arms around his son. “Please, promise me you will never try to live someone else’s dream like that!”  
“Ok, ok! What's gotten into you? Why don't you want me to follow in your footsteps?” Shirou asked defensively. “If it's what you’re always thinking about, I’m willing to risk-!”  
“Living someone else’s dream, or even living your own in the wrong way will only bring you pain.” His voice was steel, brokering no room for disagreement. “I’d much rather you find your own path, be your own person. If you want to be a hero after that, then that's fine. Otherwise your ideals will only be able to save ideals.”  
Shirou looked troubled, but accepted the lecture with a nod. How was he supposed to make such an important decision? What did he really believe in? He wasn’t happy about it, but if following Kiritsugu’s advice gave him a smile like that one than...  
“I’m happy.” Kiritsugu smiled, calming down. “Now let's get inside. You have to get up early tomorrow if you want to make enough food to feed Taiga!”  
Shirou grounded, causing Kiritsugu to laugh.

That night Kiritsugu Emiya passed away in his sleep from the curse of an old god.

<\---------------------------------------------------->

Zouken Matou put down his phone. It was all he could do not to destroy the blasted device! He hadn’t been this angry since Kariya had rejected his training, then came back with the GALL to demand things from him. The memory calmed him down though, just imagining the pain he had inflicted on his descendant for that injustice brought a smile to his face. It didn’t last long though.  
Byakuya was dead. And not only that, for Zouken could get over that, the idiot had taken Shinji with him! Sure, the boy had no magic circuits to speak of, but his personality was perfect to further break the Tohsaka child. Their spawn would bring back the Matou name! Or at least it would have.  
Zouken had gotten a call from Misaki General Hospital. Apparently that retch had been too out of it to drive, foisting the responsibility off to his son in the middle of busy traffic! This turned out predictably, Shinji dying at the scene, and Byakuya dying on the ambulance ride.  
It was just his luck. Now he needed to adopt another outsider to take on Shinji’s role. It wouldn’t be the first time he added new blood, but it was becoming unpleasantly common. But how to find a suitable replacement? It needed to be someone with at least a basic understanding of magecraft, or the association might swoop down on him. Letting Shinji learn of it, was a stretch only possible due to the boy’s heritage. Normally no one without the aptitude for the art was even aloud rudimentary understanding.  
A few hours later a worm slipped through a crack in the wall in Zouken’s “bedroom”, or rather his study. He hadn’t needed sleep in over seventy years. His familiar was back with some interesting information. There was a bounded field, belonging to neither the Tohsaka, Matou, or the Holy Church in Fuyuki. It may be rudimentary and relatively weak, but it was still something.  
After calling his contact in the city’s government to ask what information he had on the residents, Zouken was met by yet another surprise. His twisted facsimile of his face contorted into a grin. Sending 

<\--------------------------------------------------->

The funeral for Kiritsugu was held a week after his passing. It was a quiet and quick affair, only attended by the few people he had befriended while in Fuyuki and Shirou. After the ceremony, only Raiga, Shirou and Taiga remained in the Emiya household.  
Shirou hadn’t shed a tear the entire time. He was sad, yes, but he was more determined to find out what his father had wanted for him. Was it even possible? Could he fill the void that encompassed him ever since the fire? Honestly, he didn’t think so but he had to follow Kiritsugu’s wishes for him. He owed him that much at least.  
“Shirou,” Raiga intoned, waving the boy toward him. “I am greatly sorry for your loss.”  
Shirou just nodded, not really feeling up to speaking.   
“If there is anything me or my group can do to help you, just ask. I know Kiritsugu left you a decent sum of money from his jobs, but-”  
“Big sis Taiga is here for you!” She may have kept herself calm during the funeral, but now that it was over Taiga was sobbing. She pounced on him, tangling him in a bone crushing hug “I’ll come over and check on you as often as I can ok? I’ll help you with homework, cook mea- well not that, but…”  
Shirou awkwardly patted her back. Jeez, now he was the one comforting her. He could already tell this was going to be the norm.  
Raiga cleared his throat, giving Shirou a sympathetic look. “Anyways, don’t hesitate to come over, ya hear?”  
The redhead smiled at the yakuza boss that acted like a surrogate grandpa to him, he wasn’t sure about the offer but he appreciated the thought. He might not want to be a hero of justice, but working with even an honorable yakuza group didn’t sit right with him.  
“Thank you, I really appreciate it. I’m glad you guys attended. Now let me go make some lunch.” Shirou walked to the kitchen and began preparing some Udon for his guests. He would have to make extra since Taiga was here, but he was sure he had enough ingredients to make a small army’s worth.   
He was about to set the table and call the Fujimura’s over when he heard loud arguing coming from the doorway. He made it over to the door, only to see Raiga gritting his teeth and holding a very angry Taiga. She looked like she was about to kill someone! Raiga was barely more controlled, albeit still as furious. What could make them so upset?   
A genial old man and a social worker were at the door, holding some important looking papers. Did Kiritsugu owe them something or?  
“Ah, Shirou! I was hoping to meet you soon!” Something didn’t feel right to Shirou. He always had good senses, and this man felt like trouble. Also, wasn’t that a bit of an informal way of greeting someone you just met? Still though, it would be impolite not to respond.  
“Hey, nice to meet you. Is there anything I can help you with?” Raiga’s silence and Taiga’s growling made Shirou nervous, so he subtly created a circuit. Strengthening might not work the best if things turned violent, but it was better than nothing.  
The old man’s dead eyes sparkled in amusement. Shit, was he a mage like Kiritsugu? The only ever mages Kiritsugu had told him about were dangerous, they were-  
“My name is Matou Zouken, and as of today I will be your guardian.” His eyes turned towards the Fujimura’s. Shirou’s ears exploded with the sound of ringing. The bounded field detected hostility and warned its owner of it. Why was it triggering now?   
“Unless of course,” the old man grinned wider, “anyone has any objections?”  
Raiga recognized the threat for what it was. He also recognized the name Matou. “No,” he growled out. Taiga looked up at him in disbelief, not believing how her grandfather gave Shirou up so easily. All he could do was continue restraining her as Zouken walked into the Emiya household.  
The ringing stopped.


	2. You do WHAT?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zouken learns how little Shirou's been taught and Shirou begins his first day in a new school.

"Was that man trying to kill you?!" Zouken normally did not care about those around him, hell he despised his own family. Disgraces, all of them. He knew exactly how inhuman and evil he was, it came with being a magus. But this was too much.

"What do you mean? Kiritsugu may not have taught me much, but he was the real deal! I wouldn't be able to do any magecraft at all if it wasn't for him." The newly adopted Matou Shirou said, a frown covering his normally blank face.

Zouken wanted to teach the boy a lesson about disrespecting his betters. Even that blasted idiot Shinji understood that he couldn't talk back without consequences. Maybe a night in the worm pit…

No, Zouken was a monster, but he wasn't an idiot. The boy was already grown a bit, already disgustingly human. If he tried to treat him as if he were his successor without properly preparing him to meet the harsh reality mages faced… the boy might end up like Kariya. For now, he would play the part of the kind old man he pretended to be in public. Eventually he would peel the mask off, but not before the boy was firmly under his control.

Turning back to this issue at hand Zouken rubbed his brow. "That is not how you use magic circuits, child. I should not have raised my voice at you, but what you are doing could kill you at any second."

The boy was obviously in shock and Zouken didn't blame him, it was a lot to process. But that didn't mean he would let him think it over too long. To be a mage is to walk with death, learning you were close to killing yourself wasn't anything Zouken wasn't used to. Though it had been a few decades.

"I was going to test you for your origin and element, but it seems like we'll have to start with the basics." Zouken sighed, he was used to long nights but his 'body' was getting old, he would have to create a new one soon. The pain of a decaying body however, was much less an issue than his rotting soul.

"The basics? What do you mean by that grandfather?" Good, the boy was being polite now. Must have realized Zouken meant no slight against his father. They were 'good friends' after all. Zouken had trouble convincing the boy of this, but a forged picture and fake stories managed to cull Shirou's skepticism.

"I mean your magic circuits. Every mage has a certain number and quality of magic circuits which they can use to create mysteries." Zouken paused to let it set in. "Which is why 'creating a circuit' as you put it is entirely unnecessary and dangerous. You are not activating your circuits, you are cannibalizing your nerves and using them instead. What you were doing must have been excruciating." His worm familiars burrowing into their host's skin to mimic circuits were surely more painful, but he digressed.

Shirou nodded. "I guess I should've known. Kiritsugu said magecraft was painful so I just assumed that's what he meant."

"A reasonable conclusion." Zouken smiled in faux sympathy. "I'm sorry he was such a poor teacher to you Shirou. I may have been friends with the man regardless of our falling out, but this neglect in training must have been difficult for you."

"Don't worry about it, I'm used to suffering." Shirou stared at Zouken, his mind clearly in a different place.

Zouken raised his eyebrows. Emiya may have been a contract killer, but all records indicated he loved his adopted son. When would Shirou have gone through enough suffering that making circuits out of his nerves would cause?

Shirou noticed his confusion and awkwardly cleared his throat, looking away from his new grandfather. "Kiritsugu adopted me after.. The Fuyuki Fire. I was stumbling through the flames, barely hanging on to consciousness. I saw everyone around me dying, but I kept moving forward." The boy was not crying, not showing any emotion as he told his tale; until "Then I collapsed. I gave up and fell to the rubble and reached my hand to the sky. Then he showed up." Shirou smiled. "Kiritsugu found me at death's door and rescued me with a smile on his face. I may have lost my memories of before that fire, and maybe I don't have anything to live for, but I want to smile just like he did that day."

Zouken patted Shirou's head. "That is far worse than I imagined my child, I am truly sorry that you have been through so much at such a young age. No one, especially one so young should have to suffer like that." That sentence… Zouken felt something in his 'chest' for the first time in years. He had meant to just say that to manipulate the boy. What was this emotion? Where had he heard that line before? Zouken shook his head, it didn't matter. He would have time to mull it over after he was done.

"It doesn't bother me as much anymore," Shirou lied. Zouken knew he was lying, the boy had nightmares every night. But he would let the boy come to him with that on his own time, for now Zouken had to activate the boy's circuits. He could check Shirou's origin and element while he was recovering from it the next night then.

"Lay down on the altar Shirou. I have to activate your circuits before we do anything else." They were in the Matou basement, though he had his worms hide in the walls as to not scare the boy. That would come later.

Shirou did as he said, "Ok so now what, is there anything I have to do?"

Zouken smiled down at him. The boy certainly was helpful. He may not understand mage customs and coldness yet, but he was very helpful. "No, just stay still. I will help you this first time, you will learn how to do so yourself after you've recovered."

"Recovered?" Shirou asked, clearly confused as to what Zouken meant.

"Yes, recover. Your circuits' lack of use have likely slightly damaged them, so after I pour prana into them they will have a bit of a negative reaction. It could've been a lot worse though, if this had gone on you may have lost use of a limb if you tried using them!"

The process didn't take long, but it tired Shirou out greatly. He bid his grandfather goodnight and walked off to bed. Tomorrow would be his first day attending a school a bit closer to the Matou Mansion. Hopefully there he could corner Sakura and talk to her. She seemed to be avoiding him during the day, and really only came out to eat Shirou's cooking.

**X**

Homuharu Elementary, much like its junior high and highschool campuses, required a relatively conservative dress code for its students. Not that Shirou cared too much, but did the uniform have to be so stuffy?

He looked in the mirror again. Perfect. Now time to make breakfast for Sakura and his grandfather. He wasn't really used to calling the shriveled man that, but he didn't want to be rude. With how kind the old man was, Shirou was almost sure he would care about the man soon. Honestly, if he didn't know that Zouken had hostile intent towards the Fujimura's then he would've been completely certain. Maybe the bounded field misfired? Zouken had explained to Shirou that he and Kiritsugu had a falling out. Maybe Kiritsugu installed something besides the hostility detection charm for him?

Shirou had time to think about that later though, for now he had to make some amazing omelets and miso soup! If there was one thing Shirou liked it was cooking. He may still be trying to find some goal to keep him happy, but this was bliss. Maybe he could try to become the world's best chef? Somehow Shirou didn't think so.

A few minutes before it was done Shirou noticed Sakura and Zouken make their way to the table together. Sakura just sat down quietly and looked down at her hands, clearly still not in the mood to talk to Shirou. That was fine, he had time to make friends with her later. She was his sister after all.

Zouken eventually walked up to him, raising an eyebrow. "Cooking for us again Shirou? That's unexpected. I thought all your help with housework yesterday was a fluke, but it seems like this will be a trend."

"Yeah," Shirou nodded, taking the food off the stove and onto plates. "I enjoy it a lot. Back with Kiritsugu I had to do all of this stuff or he would burn down the kitchen boiling water. Eventually it just became a habit I guess."

Zouken nodded back, then turned around. "Sakura dear, could you help Shirou set the table. It looks so dirty and unclean." His wording was a it weird, but Shirou would actually appreciate the help. Sakura nodded and started helping me take the food and utensils over to the large oak table sitting in their dining room after quickly wiping it down. She stayed silent, but Shirou could tell she was upset about something. Was she really that bothered by having to set the table?

Shirou was about to ask when he remembered what befell the Matou family only recently. Losing a brother and father to a car accident must have been mentally beat himself up. Of course she was distraught, she must be grieving. Shirou empathized with her, losing Kiritsugu was hard. Not as hard as it could have been, but the old man still meant a lot to him.

He shouldn't get lost in self pity though, he decided that he would befriend the girl and brighten her day if it was the last thing he'd do. No one deserved to cry like that. He might not want to be a hero of justice, but he could at the very least ease her suffering.

After the meal, both students packed up and headed off to school. Zouken waved them off, warning them to be careful. Despite how Raiga reacted to him, Shirou really thought his grandfather was a good person. Maybe Zouken used to be a cop and gave Raiga trouble? He would have to ask him later. The trip to school wasn't too long, so Shirou wasn't really able to strike up a conversation with Sakura. He would just have to try to find her during lunch or recess if their years had one together. The girl was a year younger than him in class 4-B while he was in class 5-A.

They seperated at the school doors, Sakura responding to his farewells with a small bow before rushing off. With how quickly she ran off, Shirou would think she saw a monster. Was he really that bad?

"Matou," a voice behind him greeted him. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Kayama asked me to show you the way to class this morning."

The girl who was apparently supposed to escort him was wearing her hair in pigtails and had a kind studious aura around her. She was obviously the class rep or something.

"Ok, sounds good." Shirou nodded, following after her as she lead him through the halls. "What's your name?"

"Hmm?" The girl looked back at him. "Do you really not know? I thought your grandfather or whoever would have told you about me?"

"Well, I was just adopted so things are a bit hectic. I'm sure he just forgot to mention it. Does your family know the Matous or something?"

Her smile grew more strained. "I see. You truly have no idea who I am then." She huffed, breaking her earlier persona a bit. "We cant talk about it here, but all you need to know for now is that I am Tohsaka Rin, heiress to the Tohsaka clan. Does that ring any bells for you Matou?"

Shirou racked his brain before remembering what his father told him of the Tohsakas. "Oh yeah, sorry I didn't recognize you. I'll be more careful in the future." This calmed the girl down evidently. She was probably just annoyed with me for not knowing her very prestigious bloodline. Mages were weird like that.

"Take care to not make such a silly mistake like that in the future Matou." The girl replied before opening the door to the classroom.

After a quick introduction, Shirou found a seat behind Rin and next to a boy who introduced himself as Issei Ryudo.


	3. Losing Humanity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shirou continues to be manipulated by Zouken, becoming more and more like a mage.

"This will hurt quite a bit, my boy. Maybe not as much as channeling your full ten units of prana through your nerves, but you should ready yourself." The old man held up a disgusting, writhing worm in front of Shirou. "My familiar will burrow under your skin, exploring every nook and cranny."

"And this is the only way to do your magecraft?" Shirou looked at the insect familiar with disgust. This was hardly what he was imagining when Zouken said that his training would begin in full. He expected pipes. Maybe high quality pipes since the Matous were actually pretty wealthy, but still just basic materials.

"Yes." Zouken replied bluntly, leaving no room for argument. "You did say that you wanted to be a mage, correct child?" After a nod from his grandson, he continued. "Then you need to start thinking like a mage. So you have no goals, no ideals to hold onto? Then work for the benefit of our family's magecraft, try to reach the root itself. If you fail in that, pass on your hopes and dreams to your children."

There was something about that that Shirou didn't like, Kiritsugu hadn't tried to force him down his path. In fact he had actively argued against doing so. But Shirou accepted it nonetheless, Kiritsugu was dead and never got to explain himself in full. Plus, if Kiritsugu didn't want him to make this path his own Zouken would have told him. If he wanted to make Kiritsugu, and if he thought about it also Zouken, proud. He would become a true mage so that their kindness meant something. He would change anything about himself for his saviors. He was really just a shell of a person anyways, so that was all right with him at least for now. It had to be.

"I understand. So you're saying I need to develop a certain unique mindset if I want to become a mage?" He asked his grandfather and mentor. Hopefully he had understood what Zouken was saying correctly.

"That's exactly it! Magi are not really humans in any sense of the word. They may be human-shaped and can act well enough in public, but behind closed doors we are entirely different. Take the Tohsaka girl for example. We are idealistic, noble, inhuman, and sometimes cruel beings, edging the line between sane and insane. We have to be prepared to do anything and everything to advance the craft." Zouken had not been this passionate about magecraft for a while, and it showed. He was visibly shaking with passion, pacing around before returning to Shirou and raising his hand out.

Shirou would take his words to heart. He never truly felt human in the first place after all.

"I'm ready." Shirou gritted his teeth. Zouken patted his head and put the crest worm into his mouth gently. It was a small mercy, having it burrow through far less tissue than Shirou was sure the familiar would like.

"I'll be back in a few hours with some tea and food, just try to bear through it." Zouken gave him a kindly smile. "For what it's worth, you're doing great so far. Sakura always complained so much about it when she was starting. Wouldn't stop yelling at me despite having me teach her… I hate to speak badly of her, but I haven't managed to quell her arrogance. Unfortunately, she was with a rather elitist family before coming here and she still can't seem to get over that to talk to others." Zouken walked to a corner of the room where he tapped the wall, causing a hidden door to swing itself open. "It's time for her lessons. Hopefully she prepared this time."

The off-handed comment would've bothered Shirou if he hadn't just lost any sympathy he had for the girl's 'shy' nature. That must have been all a part of the act mages enjoy playing. Most would just do so in public, but it seemed that Sakura was different. Was she really looking down on him? Just because he wasn't as advanced as her yet and didn't come from magi elite didn't mean he was less than her. But in the end, it didn't matter. He would just have to work harder and show her up that way. At the very least, he no longer had any plans to spend time with the girl at school. Making her grandfather worry about her and doubt himself was cruel and cold of her.

Why did it bother him so much though? He could brush off people not liking him at school, no big deal. A lot of grade schoolers apparently didn't like how confrontational he had been with bullies, but that was on them. Someone not want to be his friend? Who cares.

This was different though. Sakura had not only spit in the face of his offers of friendship, but had gone so far as to take their grandfather for granted! Shirou's righteous fury grew stronger before tapering off. If she wanted to be stand-offish then he would do the same. No need to torment her, but there was also no need to pander to someone so obviously selfish and self absorbed.

It would take hours for the crest worms to not only divine his origin and element, but etch the basics of each of the fields of magecraft he should study in order to make full use of them. If he overused these worms for studying magecraft, he mused, he would probably go insane. The pain wasn't the worst he had ever felt, but hours on end of it would be excruciating.

Shirou reminisced on the last few days, well as much as he could through the pain. So much had changed in such a short period of time and he sort of felt lost. Losing Kiritsugu, getting adopted for a second time almost immediately after, learning how horribly wrong he was using his magecraft, and meeting so many new people. It was overwhelming, but as a fresh bout of pain broke his concentration he hardened himself. His body was made of steel already, he was used to pain. He would have to steel his heart too, half-hearted determination wouldn't let him reach the root. Whatever that was.

**X**

Zouken cackled with glee, watching Sakura squirm in the worm pit she found herself in. Hundreds, if not thousands, of his familiars were crawling all over and inside of her. They went in through every orifice they could find, defiling her over and over again for hours on end as they ingrained everything she'd need to know for the future.

She would need more outside magical energy very soon. Byakuya had been providing some to her before Shinji was able to. Unfortunately they were dead and so the side effects of her speedy withdrawal would certainly disturb Shirou, and not in the way he wanted. He may be able to manipulate the boy into thinking Sakura is aloof and cold, but her making those types of advances towards him at such a young age would raise serious red flags.

Shinji and his disgusting wretch of a father were the type that would take advantage of it, but Shirou would have to be seriously changed in order for him to do anything of the sort. Maybe in four or five years though…

Either way, he would have to ask Shirou to provide her with blood. It may not be as efficient as a tantric ritual, but it would certainly do.

Speaking of what Shirou could and has done for the girl, she was still struggling. She hadn't struggled for years, likely getting some sense of misplaced hope in how kind Shirou treated her the previous days. That would make it all the sweeter for Zouken when it was ripped away.

True, he had wanted to break her before Shirou showed up, but now he had new information. His worms had investigated the greater grail, and found it surprisingly active. For whatever reason the Grail War would start in only a few years time. Now Zouken needed to break her completely. He had already implanted grail shards throughout the girl, tainting her. If she truly gave into despair, he would have a unique lesser grail: one who could absorb servants.

"Do you really think he cares about you?" Sakura faltered for half a second before going back to struggling. "After all," Zouken grinned, "I already told him about how selfish you are." She looked up at him with horror. "He was actually quite angry with you. I wonder what his reaction will be when I tell him how dirty you are, how depraved." The hope in Sakura's eyes died out, she sank back into an endless sea of flesh devouring worms.

Of course, he wasn't planning on telling Shirou that yet. He would force Sakura into withdrawal when the boy was older and had come to his way of thinking. It made Zouken very pleased that he had found such a worthy pawn. Thinking over his future plans would have to wait though, results from some of the tests he had a familiar run were coming back.

 _ORIGIN_ : Sword - 95%, Sheath - 5%

 _ELEMENT_ : Sword - 90%, Sheath 10%

 _Age_ : 10.89 Years

 _Muscle Mass_ : Above average

 _General Health_ : Average

 _Teaching/Taught_ : Alchemy, Projection, Alteration, and Reinforcement

A long pause followed by static. That was strange. Zouken knew he had also ordered his familiar to find out-

 **SpIrIt H** EaltH: EX+.

SPir **T _i Str_** _EngTh: EX+._

S _pIrIt HEaltH:_ **EX+.**

 **S** PirTi StrEngTh: EX+.

SpI **rIt HEa** _ltH: EX+._

 _SPirTi_ ** _StrEngTh_ :** EX+.

SpIrIt **HEalt** H: EX+.

SPir **Ti** StrEngTh: EX+.

S **pIrIt** HEaltH: EX+.

SPir **Ti S** trEngTh: EX+.

 **SpIr** It HEaltH **: _EX+._**

 _SPirTi_ ** _Str_ Eng**Th: EX+.

**SpI _rI_** _t HEaltH: EX+._

_SPirTi_ ** _StrEn_ gT**h: EX+.

Zouken deactivated the worm inside of Shirou immediately, his head throbbing. What the hell was that?! How does a mere human have that strong of a soul? It should be impossible! The only reason he was able to make command seals in the first place was because heroic spirits had a max spirit strength and vitality of EX! Without that factor, the whole grail war would've been impossible, so how?!

Zouken growled, preparing for the wave of pain that would come with reactivating the worm. He had to know why, and if he would have to kill Shirou. He certainly didn't want to, but if the boy was some mix between phantasmal beast and man or some dead apostle ancestor playing a prank on him, he would have no choice.

He bit back the pain as the worm changed its objective and started further analyzing the boy's soul. By the time it was done, Zouken had rushed off to his study and had a raging migraine. However, that migraine instantly disappeared the moment the information the worm gathered flowed through his head.

Avalon. Kiritsugu Emiya had implanted a goddamn noble phantasm in his son. Not only that, it was the prized possession the Einsberns had been crusading for. Kiritsugu knew how to hide, Zouken gave him that.

This was an amazing discovery, and it changed everything. He now knew exactly which servant the boy would summon, the previous war's saber was hard to forget after all. However, Zouken could not take Avalon away, detach it from the boy's soul without seriously damaging him in the process. Not only that, Avalon would reject Zouken on sight. He was sure of that.

The ability to slow his aging and heal him a bit though? That was not out of reach. He just had to attach the worm to Shirou's brain, the receptacle of the soul, and… done. It's not like the boy wouldn't get advantages out of having a crest worm in him. He would be able to use his circuits more effectively, pushing his output to 4 units of prana/circuit safely as opposed to the measly 1 he would normally be able to safely use. Eventually he could use up to 10-12 units safely, but not for a while. But Zouken benefited so much more.

The crest worm filtered the power of Avalon, and diverted part of it to Zouken. He could have taken more, but it would benefit him to have Shirou able to handle more training. Where before Shirou wouldn't have access to Avalon's powers, Zouken opened it up a bit. It would still have worked better with its original owner present, but it was still formidable.

Zouken had never felt so alive! He was planning on just waiting for the next grail war to come along and then opportunistically joining when he could. He planned on manipulating others to do most of the work for him. Now though, he could prepare in full. After all, he couldn't crush that sham of a priest and the King of Heroes without significant resources and a plan.


	4. Cold

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a time skip Shirou is not the same.

_Seven Months Later_

"Trace On."

A boy with dark crimson hair chanted, his hand outstretched over a piece of course gray stone. The boy was sweating profusely, the veins in his forehead visibly throbbing as his exertion continued to increase. "Tracing basic elements. Tracing basic properties. Tracing concepts. Tracing History." A blue glow emanated from the boy, as a pattern of circuits covered him with their azure hue.

As the boy called out the complex process of magecraft he utilized the circuits slowly spread to the slab of stone he stood over. The gray lit up, highlighting the material. However, the boy was not done yet. He still had quite a few more steps he had to carry out. Maybe once he became more proficient at this specific mystery he could cut down on the steps, but if he tried to do so now he would likely die. Magecraft was dangerous, and misusing magic circuits was a common cause of death for arrogant magi who seeked to go beyond what they were capable of. Avalon might help, but it couldn't stave off everything. The boy learned that the hard way, after he pushed himself and shattered his arm.

"Altering energy consumption of element one, shifting energy to element two. Property of coarseness transferred." The stone visibly smoothed over, its coarseness seeming to migrate into the body of an inconspicuous fat worm sitting nearby the stone on the altar. "Property of gray" the redhead seemed to address the stone, all the while pulling out a light sky blue cloth. "Be enveloped by the sea and sky, alter to blue." The stone did just that, the gray fading away, moving itself to the cloth the boy carried before enveloping it.

Now is the hardest part… he thought to himself. "Stone of granite, heed my command. Release the concept of stone, release the concept of igneous. Release the identity of granite. Adopt the concept of gem. Adopt the concept of transparency. Adopt the identity of diamond and sit."

The light blue rock shattered into tiny fragments, flying across the room in chaotic patterns before resting back at the altar as… An entirely mundane light blue rock.

Dammit! Shirou thought to himself, finally letting go of his self-hypnosis. Self-hypnosis was a complex art, requiring one to completely He almost had it this time. What was he forgetting in the equation? He had made the rock appear nearly identical to granite in every single way, what alteration would he have to add before he could use alchemy to change a regular stone into a precious gem. Gemcraft may be the Tohsaka's specialty, but he could see the use of having spare mana around. He often had to be forced to go to sleep from exhaustion or Zouken locking him out of the basement for a couple nights after he pushed himself to far. If he had another source of prana to convert into od, he might be able to go farther without the negative side effects that is!

"One more time." Shirou muttered to himself, stretching to try to release some of the tension he put himself through. "Maybe if I alter the carbon I made, adding a concept of crystal…"

"Unfortunately, that will have to be something you have to try tomorrow Shirou. Your circuits are already on the verge of overheating and frying some nerves." A kind voice carried out from the staircase that led to the chamber Shirou was currently in. Zouken slowly walked down the numerous steps, his cane clanking against the hard stone floor. "I have to say though, you've made excellent progress on both alteration and alchemy." He waved to the piles of objects Shirou had either changed the concepts of through alteration, or had outright morphed into entirely separate materials. "Gems are just hard, I didn't give you the task of making one as a test for nothing after all. You still have a couple weeks, and you're so close!"

Shirou slightly blushed with the praise, grandfather did not give it out unless he was truly impressed. Shirou wasn't as sentimental or awestruck by Zouken as he first was when meeting the powerful mage, but in its place was a deep well of gratitude and a growing respect. Zouken made magecraft look so easy. He had done the things Shirou could do better than he could imagine, and then gone on to dismiss it as trivial all because it wasn't even the old man's specialty. Shirou really wanted to be a mage that powerful someday. If he was that powerful back then, maybe the fire wouldn't have happened. Maybe his family, who from what Zouken had told Shirou were more than likely first or second generation magi, wouldn't have died and he would've been able to inherit a family crest.

Noticing his grandson's melancholy, Zouken cracked a rare joke. "Seriously though, if you keep abusing your circuits your hair will gray faster than mine." He patted his bald wrinkled head.

Shirou smiled, happy that his grandfather was in a good mood. Unfortunately this wasn't the norm though. He was usually not very talkative, and a bit down. It seemed like even Avalon wasn't able to help him with all of his pain. As Zouken explained, he was only able to live so long because his familiars syphoned off energy from the various criminals of Fuyuki. This left him in a lot of pain.

However that physical pain, Shirou reasoned, was absolutely nothing compared to the emotional pain that Sakura put him through. Over the months, and with Zouken's explanations, Shirou had only grown to disdain that girl more. Zouken tried so hard to make her like him, he was always so kind when they had meals together. But Sakura didn't even have the decency to look him in the eyes. She should be grateful for him saving her, just like he was grateful for Kiritsugu!

"I'll head off to bed then. You're going to check up on… Her… training?" Shirou asked, barely controlling the rage that simmered throughout him. It was unbecoming of a magus to give into their emotions, they were cold and calculated. Though his grandfather and Kiritsugu seemed to be exceptions, always wearing their emotions on their sleeves.

"Yes." Zouken gave him a forlorn smile. "I hope that I will be able to get through with her tonight, but…" He sighed. He had told Shirou the same thing before, but he never had any luck. "I shouldn't trouble you though. It already is enough of a burden on you that I have to go through here to get to her training grounds. She refuses to stop locking the door to her room, so I can't get through that passage."

She made grandfather, whose knees were clearly in bad shape, walk down so many more stairs? All for what? What did she even gain? Was she really that much of a sadist?

"I'm sorry to hear that. I hope you the best." Shirou bowed and made his way to his room, the first door to the left outside of the entrance to the basement. Being so near his workshop gave him comfort, and even stopped him from dreaming about the fire. Instead, his dreams consisted of the ethereal flowing of prana around him, the Matou House being jam packed full of ancient enchantments, a complex layered bounded field, and numerous grimours and artifacts. He drifted off to sleep

This was different.

Shirou quickly inspected his surroundings, there was no time to waste. Observing your surroundings efficiently and quickly was required for a magus if they ever battled, Zouken had explained. There are so many unique types of mysteries, magic codes, etc. that magi utilized that he had to be ready for anything.

There didn't seem to be anyone around, but that didn't mean Shirou was letting down his guard. He looked at the scenery around him cautiously. There seemed to be a calm stream, lazily flowing through a thick forest of dark green oak that stretched for miles to his east. To his south and west, there was a vast field of barely and wheat, their shine both healthy and strong. For whatever reason, he felt that he could relax there just lying down in a stack of hay.

What caught his interest though was the field of flowers to his north. There was an array of colorful flowers of all types from roses to tulips to daffodils. It seemed as though they were endless, spreading on forever. What was more impressive though was the ivory tower that dominated the sky. What's more, its gate gave off a clear aura that thankfully warned Shirou not to approach: **Only Those Free of Sin May Pass**. Shirou realized exactly where he was with a jolt. He was somehow inside of Avalon.

"Interesting." Shirou turned quickly, surprised that he had not heard anyone sneak up behind him. He was sure that he was still aware of his surroundings, so how?

A man garbed in a white robe adorned with petals and a blue sash was leaning against a tree near Shirou, petals flowing from his feet. His fair white hair swayed with the light breeze and his mischievous eyes zeroed in on Shirou.

"A human in Avalon? I wonder what path you'll follow."

**X**

_Four Years Later_

Dealing with these humans made Shirou's head hurt. He knew that he couldn't just blast them, but keeping up this helpful-handyman act was getting annoying. Did they really have to have him do everything for them? He was willing to fix a heater or two since it would be practice, maybe not the quality of practice he got at nights but still practice.

Making him buy parts for them however, was much less ok. He had to do it to not reveal his real personality, but it was becoming a pain in the ass. That problem is what led to him being in this part of town. Honestly he would rather be anywhere else.

The mechanics shops of Fuyuki were all in a single district instead of spread out across town. This was because the Yakuza group in Fuyuki, the scum of the earth in Shirous opinion (they couldn't even be humans right), decided to get a monopoly on it just so they could fix their damn motorcycles for cheaper. Shirou couldn't recall the name of the group, it had been a while since he had any ruins with them. A couple had tried contacting him when he was twelve, but ever since he made it known he wasn't interested they left him alone. They even had the nerve to whisper about 'disappointing the tiger' or whatever euphemism that was. He didn't want drugs or trouble, thank you.

Shirou entered the least run down looking shop, pulling out a wad of cash and kindly asking the attendant to get the things from the order he placed. When the young man running the register came back with everything, Shirou thanked him with a smile and pretended to not notice the gang tattoo on his left shoulder. Best not to cause any drama.

He would get to vent his frustrations over the day during his studies. After he had shown remarkable progress in each of the fields he specialized in, Zouken had moved on from having him practice on objects then small animals like rabbits or dogs. He now got to work on things like removing concepts from people, and transforming them into weird pseudo-familiars. He of course didn't work on the innocent! He wouldn't even subject Sakura to the things he did, as much as he hated her. He only used the filthy criminals Zouken provided him. They were rapists, murderers, less reputable Yakuza and the like. Not only that, they lacked dignity too. Most denied the crimes grandfather captured them for, as if they hadn't been caught in the act. Their nerve was astonishing to be honest. That didn't last long though, they went quiet soon enough. Cutting out their tongues for those disgusting lies was a rather effective method of silencing people, it turned out.

He was so lost on thought, excited to get home and deliver justice and gain even more knowledge of his craft, that he almost didn't dodge when someone came barreling towards him. He readied into a fighting stance, before relaxing when he noticed the person in front of him had no magic circuits to speak of.

"SHIROU!" The young woman who had so rudely interrupted his thinking yelled, as if she recognized him. "I haven't seen you in so long! Are you alright? Matou-san hasn't been rough on you right? My grandfather says he's really bad business!"

Shirou stared blankly at her. Who the hell was she? Oh. Oh yeah, Taiga Fujimura. Her and Raiga had attended Kiritsugu's funeral. Memories from back then were getting a bit hazier so he didn't recognize her at first. Regardless of that though -

"I'm alright thank you." Shirou locked eyes with her. I'm afraid I don't know what you mean by that however, Ms. Fujimura. My grandfather is not only kind to me, he is a philanthropist." He remembered how Raiga had made some token attempt to stop Zouken from adopting him. His grandfather had to release his killing aura in order to protect Shirou from the man. He had wanted Shirou to live mostly alone, with only his dunce of a granddaughter to sometimes look after him. Talk about being irresponsible.

Taiga evidently didn't believe him, but decided to let it go. "If that's what Shirou says, then that's how it is." She nodded to herself, reaffirming whatever dull thoughts floated around the airhead's brain. "I have to go now, but I hope I can see you again sometime. I have you in homeroom next year if I remember right!"

Shirou groaned inwardly, politely excusing himself and heading home. He had turned fifteen recently, and was going to high school next fall. And somehow, in a cruel twist of fate, he had Taiga as a teacher. Joy.

**X**

Shirou had never gone into Sakura's workshop before. It smelled disgusting from what he could tell through the wall between them, but he never got to see the conditions. It would probably be just as disgusting as the girl herself. Zouken had recently let him in on the fact that Sakura wasn't even a virgin anymore, despite the fact that she was only fourteen years old. Shirou would have to lecture her about it later, but it would probably do no good. She just kept that vacant look on her face while talking to him, then excused herself whenever he had the kindness to try to correct her behavior.

Tonight was different though, Sakura had left some of her materials for study on the dining room table. How does anyone forget giant fleshy worms?! That prideful idiot of course! He would've just left them for Zouken to take down to her when she needed his assistance (which she still hadn't thanked their grandfather for), but the man was busy on a 'side project' tonight.

And so the duty fell onto Shirou. It would cut into his time practicing magecraft, so he was already angry. He wondered if Sakura's mask would fall if he threw the worms directly in her face. She was apparently incredibly squeamish, so it would be worth a laugh or two. Shirou wouldn't stoop so low though. He was a Matou through and through, he had to act with some respect befitting his rank; even if that girl wouldn't.

He walked down the stairs to his workshop, briefly glancing at a tied up sex offender that was still alive after some of Shirou's lighter experiments. He would move onto the more deadly and painful types tonight. He grinned at the thought of enacting justice and making the world a better place with the death of that scumbag. Before Shirou cut his tongue out, the man had kept begging to at least let his 'daughter', Shirou didn't believe that for a second she was more likely a victim, go. Shirou insisted that his grandfather never captured or killed the innocent, but the man wouldn't listen to reason.

Shirou flooded the door to Sakura's room with prana, opening it slowly. He sighed, the girl hadn't even turned on the lights. She couldn't study in the dark, so was she really just lazing around? That pissed him off.

He angrily reached to his side, pulling a small rock from his pockets. He then added the concept of light and held it up, illuminating the catacomb.

Shirou's mouth gaped open. This was highly unusual, but he was sure that no one could blame him for being utterly shocked at the sight before him.

Shit.

Shit!

SHIT!

Her blank expressions, her avoiding him so often, her not having the strength to look into her grandfather's eyes. That wasn't out of arrogance or disrespect. She wasn't dirty, she wasn't a monster. Shirou puked on the cold stone steps, becoming even more disturbed when Sakura didn't even acknowledge him.

And if Zouken had lied about her character, then… Shirou turned back towards his workshop in utter horror, the sobs of the man he thought had a thing for young kids echoing mournfully.

**0o0o0o0**

Shirou's Origin And Element

First Part - Origin: Sword 99% Fae 1% Element: Sword 97.5% Light 2.5%

Second Part - Origin: Sword 50% Fae 50% Element: Sword 35% Light 65%

Third Part - Origin: ? Element: ?


	5. Submission and Ascension

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You know how I said this might be a Zouken redemption fic? Well nvm lol. He might get some of his humanity back, but Zouken's a bit too far gone at this point. Sorry for this chapter, it gets a bit dark.

Shirou's light gray filled with tears, however the salty liquid did not drip down the boy's face. He was too professional for that, crying was a weakness not befitting of either a mage or the Matou family. And regardless of his deepening hatred for his grandfather Zouken, he was still a Matou dammit!

A searing pain shot through his leg, paralyzing him with monumental pain. He was use to pain but this was a far more excruciating than anything he had faced before. It felt like his leg was on fire and was being pierced by shards of piping hot glass. Was this what Sakura went through every day? The stray thought seemed to just made Shirou feel even worse about how he treated her.

"Do it, don't waste either or our time boy." Zouken Matou sneered. "Or do you care about this one? I wouldn't mind taking over myself if you want?"

Shirou panicked, his eyes widening. "No, that won't be necessary! Please don't hurt her!" He trembled, fearful of what his grandfather had in store for the person he had tied up on the altar. She was barely breathing, evidently she had not come without a fight.

"Then begin at once. I will be monitoring you at all times, do not forget that." Zouen walked back up the steps from the basement into their elegant manor. He no longer made up any pretenses of 'checking up on Sakura' or 'doing some paperwork.' He didn't have to anymore.

"Shi..ro?" The woman on the slab of cold unfeeling stone mumbled, her half-lidded eyes peering up at the boy. "What's this...where am I? What's going on?" She began lightly sobbing, trying to throw herself down from the altar unsuccessfully.

Shirou bit his tongue, barely holding in a sob of his own. "I'm sorry Taiga. I didn't… I don't…" But there was nothing he could say to fix this situation. There was no bright side. He couldn't let her go now that Zouken had brought her to him to experiment on. If he didn't do what Zouken wanted, she might just be tortured to death in front of him. And then… And then Zouken might kill him for his weakness.

Taiga didn't respond verbally, just beginning to sob harder. This ate away at Shirou, he remembered how cold and dismissive of her he was. He may not have told her, but yesterday he thought she was lower than dirt. He probably would have even been ok doing something like this. But now all he could remember was her enthusiasm, how excited she was to be a pseudo big sister.

 _Alter. Removing concept (Pain) from target [Fujimura Taiga], moving (Pain) to_ -

Shirou's spine lit up in agony, forcibly stopping his magecraft from actualizing and numbing Taiga to the inevitable pain she would feel from having numerous concepts added and removed from her existence. He would then have to turn her corpse into his first permanent familiar through a twisted mix of alteration and alchemy.

"Are you an idiot, child? Numbing her pain will make it harder to alter her, and will in no way go towards breaking her for your bidding. If you try such a foolish move again you know the consequences!" Zouken's voice rang throught his head. Shirou couldn't even escape Zouken in his own mind. The man's familiars were spread through his entire body, one in each limb and one attached to his brain and soul. If he didn't listen, Zouken could have his worms eat him alive in seconds. Shirou had thought that they just added a couple new circuits and made using reinforcement on those limbs easier, but it seems that they were added for a far different reason.

Shirou gritted his teeth and moved on, tracing a small yet heavy chunk of steel. He figured out that he could use traced objects in his alteration a year or so ago. Zouken was impressed and Shirou was so proud to get that praise…

_Alter. Removing concept (Mobility) from target [Fujimura Taiga], moving (Mobility) to target b [Steel Cube]._

Taiga froze up instantly, her sobs dying out and her constant attempts to break free finally coming to a halt. She was completely immobile, seeming more like a statue than a person. Of course her chest was rising, killing her so quickly would be a waste that Shirou refused to let happen. She deserved more respect than that.

The steel cube kept rolling around everywhere, but the projection was quickly dismissed before it hit the floor. It wouldn't do to have stray materials around his workplace. Clutter could affect the results of his magecraft in numerous ways if he wasn't careful.

Now time to get to the crux of the experiment on Taiga: creating a full blown monster. He had never changed a person's composition so much they were no longer humanoid. This would be his first time, and he had to live with the results.

Honestly, this would require a lot more on alchemy than mere alteration. He was much more well versed in alteration and projection, but work was work. Even if he hated it, even if he despised what he had to do, he could not stop himself from loving studying magecraft.

Shirou traced a small wooden figure of a fairy from the legends of the British Isles. It was beautiful.

_Alter. Adding concept (Inhuman) to target [Fujimura Taiga], removing concept (Inhuman) from target [Fae Statue]._

The statue of the fairy began to lose some of its mystique. It looked the same, but at the same time had lost some of its luster. It seemed ordinary, average, and dull. It, just like the steel ball before it, was removed from existence with the flick of Shirou's wrist.

 _Alchemize. Property of (Toes) removed._ Taiga's feet slowly morphed into disgustingly grotesque lumps of bony flesh. She may have been immobile, but her eyes expressed her intense pain well enough. Still Shirou didn't stop, he couldn't. _Property of (Claws) added using excess materials (Flesh, Bone)._

This process went on for hours, dawn nearly cracking before Shirou was done. It was a weekend, so he could afford to stay up far later than if he had school the next day. Taiga was nearly unrecognisable by the time Shirou was through. All that was left of her original self was a blank, unfeeling face sat on top the body of what seemed to be a furless, fleshy tiger. The claws were as long as Shirou's arm and the creatures teeth were sharp enough to cut through steel. Shirou had his first real permanent familiar, something he had been excited for for as long as he could remember.

He felt sick.

**X**

Zouken sighed in disappointment. What a waste.

Shirou had found out about his lies before being fully convinced of the rightness of Zouken's methods. If only he hadn't found out for one more year, that would have made all the difference. Shirou was on the path to becoming like him, an actually worthy successor (even if just a tool), but finding Sakura in her worm pit had set the boy back significantly.

Honestly, how was he going to salvage this?

Forcing the boy to mutilate an old acquaintance was a good start on killing whatever was left of Emiya's influence, one he was planning on springing on the boy even if nothing had occurred. Now doing so was necessary if he wanted the boy to be usable at all. A broken tool can still have its uses, even if Shirou's potential had lessened.

Zouken was also kind of sad, he had really gotten to enjoy the boy's company. That was not something he could say for many, but somehow the boy's passion for magecraft had reminded him of better days. Like when… Well that doesn't matter anymore. He had forgotten his past, and a few memories wouldn't stop him from achieving his goal of immortality.

Zouken remembered the anger and betrayal on the boy's face when he confronted him about the many lies he had told the boy.

_"How dare you?!" Shirou shouted, slamming the door to Zouken's study into the wall leaving a dent. "What have you been doing to Sakura?!"_

_"Shirou? I'm a bit busy working right now." Zouken had been annoyed to be interrupted while talking to his connection within the Catholic church. "Could we discuss this later, maybe over tea?"_

_"Don't lie to me, you old bat! What have you had those worms do to her?" Shirou did not calm down in the slightest._

_"This is highly irregular for you young Shirou, get a hold of your emotions, I refuse to deal with someone with so little respect!" Zouken raised his voice. Had the boy found out anything? How?_

_Shirou huffed, before adopting a cold glare and reining in his fury. "Fine, I'm calmer now. Could you answer my question?"_

_"I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about. I just have Sakura train with them how she wants. Has she told you anything?" Shirou couldn't believe he hadn't caught on to this guy earlier, Zouken was obviously wearing his 'mask', the one mages were supposed to wear near humans. "I'm so sorry that she's tried to come in between us child, telling lies I presume."_

_Zouken's hope died out with SHirou's response._

" _I saw it. I saw that worm pit."_

_Well that changes things. Zouken's face contorted back into a much more natural scowl. This was not good. He had to do damage control._

" _Well, she deserves it for-"_

" _No." Shirou's voice was as cold as steel. "No she doesn't and I'm beginning to believe none of the people I've experimented on did either."_

_Zouken growled. "They were trash, going nowhere in life. I picked them up and gave them a purpose. Maybe they weren't the hardened criminals you so desperately wanted to believe they were, but in the end it makes no difference. They have no value!"_

" _That's bullshit." Shirou cursed . "They may not be as worthy or powerful as mages, but at the very least they matter a bit. I still care about the innocent ones."_

" _You will continue your experiments regardless. You will not feel compassion for Sakura regardless. You will be a mage regardless." Zouken sent back, laying down the law._

" _No. I will be a mage, but I refuse to be like you." Shirou declared "I will bring back the house of Matou without-"_

_The boy writhed in pain on the floor. Zouken activated all the crest worms he had implanted in Shirou's body at once. They wouldn't cause long lasting injury, but Shirou would have to suffer for hours until Zouken could figure out how to best punish him and move forward._

_Zouken would not tolerate disobedience and now that he could be himself around Shirou, the kiddie gloves would come off._

That had been last night, and Zouken was still struggling to fully change his grand plan for the grail war to align with the new conditions. There were so many different ways that this could go from here, but Zouken was sure that he could still maneuver Shirou around in a way that suited him.

He always came out on top in the end.

**X**

_Three Weeks Later_

Shirou had started being kinder to Sakura ever since that night. How he had treated her would always eat at his soul, but Sakura had told him it was all right. That just made him feel even more guilty. She was so traumatized that she would forgive someone as vile as him. He had treated her like walking garbage for fucks sake! How the hell was she able to even tolerate him?

But that didn't matter. Shirou was determined to help her now. He just couldn't stand to see her suffering so much. Seeing people cry bothered Shirou, made him feel wrong, but seeing her not even able to do that felt so much worse. He vowed that he would break her shell and make her smile at least once.

He had even started packing her lunch for school and walking her to her train stop before heading out to his high school. She would be joining him at Homurahara Academy next year, but for now she was still in middle school.

Anyways, after he parted ways with her and made his way to campus he found himself in a medium sized traditional gym. The bamboo flooring had been recently cleaned and shone in the early morning light. Numerous wooden swords were held in neat racks on the left side of the room, leaving the rest of the space for sparing and practicing one's form.

Homurahara required students to join one of their many clubs and Shirou had chosen to take Kendo. It was good exercise, and Shirou was kind of good at it. Besides, it's not like any of the funding went to non-physical clubs. He had thought about taking Kyudo but had decided against it last moment. That was lucky, because recently their instructor had… Well Shirou shouldn't think about it.

He picked up a Shinai and began swinging it around, memorizing some new moves he wanted to try. Shirou wondered if he could alter a Shinai's length and reinforce it quick enough in a fight. That would be an interesting experiment.

As more people arrived, Shirou started sparring with them. There was only so much swinging a wooden sword around at thin air could help him learn after all.

He was distracted worrying about Sakura though, last night had been extra rough on her, and she didn't get much sleep. He'd check up on her after-

In an obviously against the rules move, a shinai smacked into his face, knocking him clean out.

"Well well, welcome back kid!" A voice woke Shirou. He looked around. Avalon again? It had been a few years since he had somehow entered the sheath stored inside of him. Why was he here now after all this time?

"Earth to Shirou. Are you ok there bud?" The figure asked, holding out his hand to lift Shirou up from the floor. Oh right, he was laying down wasn't he?

"Yeah, I'm fine." Shirou dusted himself off. "Merlin, I assume?" The man nodded, smiling at Shirou. "It's an honor to meet you, I never to meet someone of your standing."

"I wouldn't expect you to," Merlin smiled. "Not every day a fifteen year old gets to meet a legend. That doesn't matter though, sit right there." Merlin motioned for Shirou to take a seat on a tree stump.

He turned quickly to the boy. "You interest me." He said bluntly. Shirou was taken aback by this. How did he manage to catch the attention of someone like Merlin? He knew he had Avalon, but that hardly meant he was too unique in terms of magi. People like Zelretch stood out, he was just some backwater magus, even if one from a prominent family.

"You see, I have clairvoyance right?" Shirou nodded, that was common knowledge. Merlin had prophesied about Arthur Pendragon and his destiny so that made sense. "Well," Merlin continued, "You kind of screwed that up."

Shirou was dumbstruck, but quickly composed himself. He had just acted like a starstruck child, not the ruthless magus he should be.

"Oh? How so?" Shirou asked. How the hell did he influence Merlin's clairvoyance? More importantly, how did he screw it up? If he didn't find a way to fix it, what would Merlin do to him?

Merlin noticed his nervousness and laughed nonchalantly. "It's not a big deal. I should thank you actually, it keeps things interesting."

Shirou relaxed. Great, he wouldn't be killed by a centuries old magus in some probably painful way. But he was still curious about what exactly he had supposedly done. He was about to ask, but Merlin bear him to the chase.

"You were never supposed to be adopted. You were supposed to live on your own after Emiya died, but things changed. I have no idea what comes next now, Isn't that exciting!?" Merlin grinned.

"Not that I don't appreciate the conversation," Shirou filed the information Merlin had just given him for later, "but why are you telling me about this now? Wouldn't you have known about this the last time we talked?"

Merlin shrugged. "Well, now you seem a lot less cold. You were obviously on a bad path before, and I don't really want to hurt humanity by teaching another Zolgen Makiri. Plus It wouldn't be fun to train someone without a sense of humor, now would it?"

Shirou nodded. That made sense. Wait…

"Train me?!"


	6. Move Along

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shirou has to move forward, knowing his mistakes. Fortunately, he is not alone.

"So I don't necessarily need to put the property or concept into another vessel after taking it out of its original host?" Shirou asked the cloaked man in front of him. This was their third meeting since Merlin had decided to take Shirou on as an apprentice, and he had already been taught so much about how to use alteration and alchemy in new ways that he hadn't thought of!

"Yeah, that step was actually only added three hundred years ago. It was deemed necessary since excess factors floating around a workshop could affect the results of other experiments, but in battle even a half of a second means a lot. Wasting that second could get you killed." Merlin explained to the red haired magus in front of him. "That is not to say transferring factors couldn't be useful though."

Shirou nodded, thinking to himself for a bit.

"You mean like transferring 'freeze' from snow into an opponent, or 'heat' from fire into their circuits?" Shirou asked.

Merlin grinned. "Very good, that's actually an excellent idea, one I have used before actually. Morgana was pissed! Adding 'heat' to an enemy's circuits might be tricky though. If they're more powerful than you they could just expel the factor from their body."

"Good point. But why do you keep referring to concepts and properties as factors? From what I know, they're completely separate things that need to be handled distinctly."

Merlin shrugged. "I guess, but that doesn't mean I can't do it now does it?"

Shirou's left eye twitched in annoyance. Was Merlin even taking this seriously? He knew the legend was far beyond him, but did Merlin really have to rub it in so much?

"Anyways, we should move on from boring stuff like that." He pretended to ignore his apprentice's discomfort. "Honestly, you already know a lot about alteration and alchemy. You may need to practice a bit in terms of practical application, but you're good for now.'

Shirou was surprised. This was high praise coming from someone of such renown. It didn't faze him like it might have when he was just starting magecraft, but it did fluster him a bit. So he changed the topic.

"Is that so? What will I be learning now, I still have an hour left before I have to wake up and make some breakfast?" It was a good question. The only types of magecraft that would benefit Shirou that he wasn't relatively proficient at were reinforcement and projection. He might be able to learn curses and healing as well with his fae origin, but with how finicky his origin was due to Avalon Shirou didn't want to waste his time.

It's not like reinforcement or projection were all that useful though, he didn't need to master them. He had to be good enough at reinforcement not to completely rupture his body, but anything more than that was unnecessary. As for projection, everything he projected was low quality. The only things he could project that were not useless were swords and things related to the fae, though his ability to project good swords was declining. In a couple years, Shirou was sure it would be gone entirely.

"You will be learning how to use reinforcement, projection, and structural grasping in new and unique ways." Merlin explained to Shirou.

Really? Shirou was expecting something like that, but it was a bit disappointing. Maybe Merlin had some insight Shirou didn't though, the wizard had been alive far longer than Shirou and lived in a time where the knowledge of the Age of Gods had not quite died out yet.

"Structural grasping? Isn't that just sending your mana through things to ascertain their basic shapes and functions? I use it to help with alteration sometimes, but it doesn't seem like it has much actual potential." Shirou asked his mentor politely.

"That is a common trap mages of the modern era fall into." Merlin nodded. "However, structural grasping can achieve a lot more than that. If you focus on the physical aspects of an object that's all you will find."

"What do you mean by that? I can detect prana signatures from objects without it, so what other use could it have?" Shirou was perplexed. Maybe Merlin was saying using it on mages could reveal their origin, element, circuit count etc. but that still didn't seem useful in the middle of a battle or research on the root.

"Magic signatures are hardly everything Shirou. Think: why do projected objects disappear after a certain amount of time regardless of whether it was a random stone, or a sword on the level of Caliburn?"

Shirou didn't have to think about an answer for very long. This was basic. "Because Gaea recognizes them as entities that don't belong in this world and deletes them. It categorizes them as not of this world as opposed to 'real' objects."

Merlin smirked, Shirou just fell into his trap. "So Gaea categorizes the objects of this world and records their existence?"

Shirou nodded. Where was Merlin trying to go with this? Wait…

"Objects' existences are recorded, so so are a lot of other information about them! Their history, how they were used, and all sorts of information is stored in them! This could be really useful for reconnaissance and studying mystic codes."

Merlin nodded. "Exactly. Think on that until tomorrow. I'll explain how to do so exactly tomorrow night along with how to reinforce specific factors instead of just strength."

Shirou thanked the man and got ready to wake up from the ethereal dreamscape.

"Oh and Shirou?" Merlin called out to him as he was heading to the light. The teen turned around.

Merlin gave Shirou the most serious look that he ever had. This was going to be important-nt

"If you're going to look into the history of some maiden's bed, make sure no hungry lions are nearby. I still get nightmares.." Merlin shivered, remembering some traumatic memory of the past that he'd take with him to the grave.

**X**

Shirou woke up to the sound of a fuzzy cat plushie screeching out obscenities in classical Latin. It was an idea that Merlin gave him the second night they had talked. He hadn't thought noise could be transferred from one object to another, but here it was. Apparently Merlin made something similar a long time ago. Sadly, Merlin refused to show Shirou due to the object in question having been 'ripped to shreds' the very next morning after it was given.

What a shame, it would have been a priceless artifact…

Anyways, Shirou had to get up to make some breakfast for Sakura. Zouken would be out for the entire day, so Shirou could treat Sakura to something better than usual without Zouken knowing.

That was not to say that Zouken would punish Shirou for showing that kindness to Sakura, no. According to the girl though, her training sessions would be extra intense on the days Shirou expressed his care for her in front of their grandfather. Shirou had not made that mistake again.

It wasn't too much of a problem though, recently Zouken had become busier and busier preparing for something Shirou still had no idea of. Hopefully whatever it was wouldn't engulf him and his sister, but Shirou didn't hold out any hope.

As Shirou cooked up some eggs and pancakes, Sakura came in and set up the table without a word. She was still a bit distant, but he could understand her hesitation to trust him. Zouken had played this game with her before, pretending to regret his actions slightly then pulling the rug out from under her a few days later.

They ate their meal in silence, neither feeling comfortable enough to start a conversation. Once they were done, Shirou cleaned the table while Sakura did the dishes. It was quiet, but it also didn't feel overly tense either. Shirou's guilt still ate away at him all the same.

Shirou walked Sakura to her train stop again, the act becoming a habit of his. He wouldn't feel comfortable leaving her alone. She was trained, yes, but what if someone caught her unaware tried to take advantage of her? Shirou couldn't let that happen, he would protect her.

"Goodbye, big brother." Sakura bowed to him before entering her train and being spirited away before Shirou could respond.

The teen in question was shocked, his jaw hanging open. It took a lot to get this reaction out of him, but it was becoming more and more common. He couldn't help that everything in his life was crazy even by mage standards. Sakura had told him goodbye! Not only that, she had called him big brother! Shirou's heart warmed, he hadn't felt this strongly in a long time. That is if he didn't count his guilt too. The warm feeling fluttered away, leaving Shirou in the depths of self-loathing. He would make this right, and make so she never had any reason to cry. Not only that, a world that allowed his little sister to suffer so much needed to be changed, to be saved.

Shirou would never consider himself a hero, in fact he loathed their empty promises and empty platitudes that left the world scarred in their wake. What good is honor if your kingdom falls and your people are slain? But maybe, just maybe Shirou could be a savior.

It didn't matter. Shirou would have to think such things later, for now he had to get to the school and to his kendo club. He would train, and he would become stronger.

After the long day of school let out Shirou was about to head home to begin his homework and studies of both the mundane and moonlit variety, but was stopped at the doorway by someone he recognized as Ayako Mitsuzuri. She was the leader of the kyudo club and was in his class.

"Could I help you with anything?" Shirou asked politely.

"Matou, right?" Mitsuzuri asked him. After receiving confirmation from the redhead she continued, "You're the one that goes around helping everyone right?"

If this was a couple weeks ago, Shirou would've been annoyed. Who did this girl think she was to ask favours of him? Did she really expect others to do things that she couldn't do herself. He would have concluded that she was just too lazy to learn or do it herself. However this wasn't a couple weeks ago. Shirou had learnt something so major, something that threatened everything he thought he knew. He couldn't look down on her too much, he had been just as weak as to ever believe Zouken. Hell, he of all people was _even worse_ than a human. He was lower than dirt.

"Sure, what do you need, Mitsuzuri?" Shirou asked with a smile on his face. He wasn't even keeping up an act at this point, he genuinely wanted to know. It felt… good to make up for what he did by helping her. Maybe if he kept helping around, he'd feel less guilty. It was a nice feeling and Shirou unconsciously relaxed a bit.

"Well I've been under a lot of pressure since Ms. Fujimura's disappearance. To be honest, I just can't keep up." She sighed, the exhaustion evident in her voice. The reference to Taiga sent a wave of pain stabbing through Shirou's heart. It hurt more than Zouken's worms even. "Could you please help me clean up the dojo tonight? I promise I won't make you again, I just need a hand tonight."

If there was a question of whether or not Shirou would help her before, there wasn't any now. She wasn't just using Shirou like some of the people he had helped in the past were. She had a genuine reason to need help. Not only that, but she was planning on working with him instead of just pawning off all responsibility?

"Of course I'll help you Mitsuzuri." Shirou warmly told her. "And I'd be glad to help in the future if you ever need me." She looked stressed out enough to take him up on the offer. "Lead the way."

The two walked off towards the archery range, making casual conversation along the way. If Shirou was being honest, he kind of liked her. Maybe, despite the fact that he was a magus he could have a friend?

**X**

Zouken sat in a velvet chair in a small but cozy room somewhere in Greece. His contact was sitting across from him in a similar seat, holding a closed ornate briefcase on his lap. The man was short and pudgy, obviously not Greek in descent. The man was in fact a collector of ancient artifacts, and had just found something he thought an old acquaintance would like.

"Let's get down to business." The short pudgy man exclaimed in a whiny voice. "How much can you pay for this?"

Zouken smiled and gestured for the guards to let in a group of young children tied in chains. They were blindfolded and gagged, but horror was clear on each of their faces. Zouken felt some pity for the unfortunate souls, but he squashed it in the face of necessity. If he wanted to win the grail war and finally gain his true immortality, he would do anything. That didn't mean he wasn't seething inside, a fact that startled him. Was he truly feeling sympathy for these useless retches?

The collected swallowed, sweat running down his face. A cruel smile covered his face, contorting in glee.

"This will do just fine, Zouken. Thank you very much." Zouken was disgusted, but had no complaints as he took the briefcase from the man. He was just as much of a monster as the man was, who was he to judge?

The briefcase was slowly opened to reveal an ancient Greek arrow, somehow still intact after the centuries that had passed since its use.

Zouken had almost gone for the chain of Medusa due to her status as a monster, but had changed his mind at the last moment. This artifact would summon a much more powerful servant after all, one in the knight classes: an archer.

"I present to you" the grubby merchant said as if it were necessary, "an arrow once used by the hero Atalanta."


	7. First Steps

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The participants of the 5th Grail War prepare and Zouken Matou makes his first decisive move.

_Two Years Later_

The sun was setting on the Matou manor, and two figures sat on a balcony hanging over a beautiful garden. The garden was large and was comprised mostly of rows of blooming cherry trees, with wisteria and alluviums dotting the ground under the canopy. Closer to the building were chrysanthemum and red spider lily blossoms.

Shirou held Sakura's hand and rubbed her back in steady calming circles. The girl in question looked close to tears and was laying her head on Shirou's shoulder. If Zouken had been there this would have never happened. They treasured every moment alone they could get. The two were not a couple, but with how close they had gotten it was only a matter of time.

From an outsider's perspective, their close connection may have been considered strange, disgusting even. Shirou had been jokingly called a sistercon more than once for how much he doted on Sakura at school. Hypocrite. But they weren't siblings, not really. They were both adopted from completely separate families and Shirou had spent so much time ignoring her that a familial relationship never cemented until it was too late.

"There, there. It's going to be alright Sakura, I'll protect you." Shirou wore a compassionate and determined look on his face. "I won't let him win."

Sakura looked over to him. "Can you keep that promise?" she asked wearily. She trusted Shirou, but grandfather was so strong. She had more confidence in Shirou than she had anyone else, he had proven that he could somehow keep their interactions a secret, but the possibility of losing him was so great.

Shirou looked directly into her eyes. "I promise. I've got a plan that will get us out, we just have to wait until the grail war starts."

Sakura believed him, if he promised then he would do it. Shirou hadn't broken any promise he made since he had started to warm up to her. For such a serious mage, Shirou was surprisingly honest. Even when she was still with her fath- Tokiomi Tohsaka, no one she knew would be _that_ honest. It was just something that came with being in a mage family.

"Ok, until the grail war. It's a deal." Sakura smiled. It was becoming a more common occurrence for her, though one she usually only was able to achieve around Shirou and Mitsuzuri, her team captain.

She may have still felt like she was unworthy or dirty in some way, but Shirou had done a lot to clear those thoughts out of her head. It was a mixture of just being around her so often and how she would have to constantly tell him he didn't have anything to apologize for. Sakura knew Shirou still felt incredibly guilty for the past, and wouldn't just accept that Sakura didn't hold a grudge. After a while, they had just agreed to try to stop blaming themselves. It didn't fix everything, but Sakura felt a lot better now.

They sat in companionable silence for a while before Sakura spoke up.

"So, which servant class do you think you're going to get? Atalante is pretty much guaranteed to be an archer class servant, but Avalon has a couple different servants it can summon right?"

Shirou nodded. "Yeah, a couple of the knights of the round could be summoned but it'll probably be Arturia Pendragon."

"Arturia?" Sakura asked confused, she was pretty sure the King of Knights was male…

"Yeah," Shirou laughed. "Merlin says she hid her gender well, but was undoubtedly female. There may have been a problem claiming the throne otherwise."

Sakura nodded. That made sense, even if it was a bit weird. From what she heard of Merlin, she wasn't sure if he was the most trustworthy person, but he also had no reason to make something that important up.

"So which class do you think she will be summoned as?"

Shirou thought about it for a second. "Probably Saber, but there is a chance she could either be an Assassin or Lancer." Seeing that Sakura was a bit confused about the Assassin part. "Normally an Assassin would have to be a Hassan, but being part of a founding family lets one break a few rules. And while it's unlikely that she will be summoned in that class, Carnwennan shows that it's certainly a possibility."

The conversation died out, both parties reflecting on all of the possible things that could happen during the grail war. Zouken had told them everything they needed to know only a month before, and since then every moment they were apart they were preparing. It bit into school work, but both of them were a bit more worried about the war at their doorstep.

Opening the door to head back inside, Shirou motioned Sakura to follow him. Curious, she obliged.

The warm glow of Avalon around each of them faded. Shirou had been using the device to protect their conversation from being overheard by the worms Zouken had implanted in them. Unfortunately, as time went on they both were filled to the brim with worms. Each of Shirou's organs had one greedily attached. He had could produce enough mana to offset this, but Sakura's weak constitution made it hard for her. That was why Shirou let her suck some of his blood every chance he got.

Sakura flinched as they headed down into the basement, but didn't hesitate. No words were said between them, as it was now unsafe to do so. Shirou would just have to show her what he wanted.

Shirou approached the altar at the center of the room and sent prana through it. A stone chest popped out of it and Shirou reached his hand pulled out a sharp looking dagger with a few runes carved into the hilt, balancing it in his hand.

Oh, so he wanted to show her a mystic code he made? She didn't have any herself due to her specialty being in spells related to ether and spirits, but she could see the use in it.

Shirou took up a fighting stance, though not one that denoted hostility. He wanted to spar to prepare then? That made sense. Sakura readied herself, preparing a spell that would drain his vitality and stamina. She had never seen him fight, so she was interested in just how well he fought.

She rushed him, casting her spell sending a wave of green light towards him. Shirou stood still. What was he thinking? She had seen numerous blind spots on Shirou and took the most obvious one. He was better than this.

As the spell was right about to hit him, Shirou moved. Not to the side to dodge, no, he jumped forward. His knife extended into a short-sword, which he used to cut through her spell. No, it was more like it absorbed some fraction of it.

That didn't stop Shirou from getting hit at least partially. Despite having some energy knocked out of him, he continued rushing forward.

Sakura couldn't keep up. She was firing off quite a few spells, most rather powerful, all at his openings but none of them seemed to work.

Maybe she couldn't beat him in a straight fight then, so she improvised. She began setting up a bounded field around her, one that would stop Shirou from getting in close. In that, she could overwhelm him with an assault of numerous spells while draining him of prana to stave off her own fatigue.

Right about when she was going to finish, a loud bang went off and Sakura felt something heavy slam into her cheek.

After she got back to her feet, she noticed it. The weapon Shirou had been holding had somehow turned into an abnormally long blunt spear and he had hit her with it.

"That's enough for today, lets head back upstairs." Shirou told her.

When they were back at the balcony he reactivated Avalon's protective light and began explaining how the mystic code worked.

Apparently, Shirou had found out how to store somewhat contradictory concepts in the same item. It required a special set of runes that Merlin had shown him, but now he could keep the concept of 'knife', 'sword,' and 'spear' along with other types of weapons. With those concepts all in his mystic code, he could use alchemy to change the weapon type he was using on the fly. There were a couple more enchantments on the item, but Shirou would save that explanation for later.

He called the weapon his "Unlimited Bladeworks."

**X**

_Fuck._ was all Kirei Kotomine could think when he layed eyes on the group of people in front of him. This was not going to turn out well at all. Kotimine didn't like his odds.

Spread out before him was a group of executors and enforcers led by that disgusting abomination that liked to call itself Zouken Matou. How had that bastard convinced the church or the Mages Association to apprehend, or more likely kill, him? Either way, he had to try to salvage this.

"What brings all of you here today to my lovely church?" He asked. Playing dumb would at least stall for enough time for Gilgamesh to get here. Kotimine couldn't expect the golden king to help him, but his presence alone would give the clergyman a chance to escape.

Bazett McRemitz coldly answered him, "You are sentenced to death for the abduction of countless children after the events of the Fourth Grail War, and hiding a servant type-familiar from your superiors. Come quietly and the experiments the Clock Tower does on you might not be too painful." That last statement seemed to annoy some church executors, but they didn't argue.

Ah, that's right. She was the one he was manipulating. She must have been feeling so betrayed right now. Kotimine shuddered with pleasure before letting out a long baritone laugh.

"I don't think that will be necessary." He pulled out his black keys. The executors and enforcers wouldn't be a problem for him, but he'd have to watch out for Matou.

Zouken smiled at him, before walking away. What was that old man doing, did he want to get stabbed in the back? He wouldn't be killed, but he would certainly lose a few worms.

The old magus turned back to face Kotomine. "I would say I wish you luck."

Kotimine's arms and legs exploded in a shower of blood. He craned his head to see Gilgamesh in the rafters, frowning down at him before getting up and leaving undetected.

"But I don't see how you're going to get out of this one and we both know that's not true."

Kotimine couldn't resist as he was taken away. He would find a way to come back stronger from this, but fighting wouldn't achieve anything. He couldn't help but wonder what Zouken had done. It felt like his limbs were eaten from the inside, but there was no way that was true. Zouken's familiars had no way of entering the church, but even if they had how could they have gotten into Kotomine without both him and Gilgamesh knowing?

Once Zouken was out of earshot of the church he began ruthlessly chuckling. He put the four crest worms he had used to maim that fake priest into his 'body.' Shirou had no idea of how powerful he was. 'Presence Concealment' wasn't a concept that a human could replicate after all, so how had the boy been able to add an Assassin servant's attributes to the worms? He had used blackmail and to have Shirou modify the crest worms to be 'stealthy', maybe he could force Shirou to tell him his secrets that way too… After the war of course.

**X**

_Two Weeks Later_

The Tohsaka manor shook and the sound of a large crash could be heard even through the bounded field that muted most of what happened in the house.

She had done it! She had summoned a servant! She may have made one teensy mistake of performing the ritual early, but she was sure it would pay off. She rushed up towards her living room, the area where the crash came from.

She opened the door to see… her living room was ruined. Everything was scattered and it was going to be a pain to clean up. More importantly though was the tall tan man sat on top of her overturned couch. He had messy white hair with specks of orangeish red dotting it. He was wearing a black body suit of armor that had white lines outlining his abs and had a red jacket that billowed out like a cape.

That's not what she noticed about him though. He was wearing a very unique ring on his left hand, one that Rin had recognized immediately…

That was her mother's ring.

The servant looked just as surprised as she was.

"Rin?"

Sakura had already summoned her servant. Atalanta had tried to kill Zouken the moment she got a look of the workshop she was in and the girl next to her who had the same signature as those familiars inside of her body. Sakura had used a command seal to stop her, and mentally pleaded for the Archer to wait until a better time.

Atalante hadn't liked it, but had conceded.

Shirou stood over the magic circle and brought Avalon to the forefront of his soul. He thought of what Zouken had told him to say. His grandfather had given him different instructions than Sakura. Apparently there was a way to make his servant stronger by twisting them somewhat. They wouldn't be as battle crazy as a Berserker, but they would be different.

The magic circle glimmered as Shirou recited the chant to summon his servant. What he did not expect was the shock-wave that exploded out of it when he was done.

As the dust cleared, Shirou could make out a woman with smooth pale skin and yellow eyes. She was wearing a black chestpiece with red lines spreading through it. The chest-piece connected to a dress of pure darkness. Her spiked boots cracked the ground where she stood. Her sword, which had the same color scheme as her armor, exuded malice. What the hell had Zouken done to Arturia?

She sneered down at him, pulling him up from the ground roughly then setting him down. "I ask of you," she said mockingly "are _you_ my master?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got recommended to make EMIYA the caster class servant, but I thought that I might as well have it be UBW route Shirou. He is not a counter guardian, but an actual heroic spirit. I'll explain his backstory bit by bit as the plot progresses.  
> It may be unrealistic to summon an alter servant, but Zouken has had a lot more time to study the grail even more and make plans than in HF. Maybe Avalon healing him slightly wasn't the best thing.


	8. The Hungry Lion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shirou and Friends go to the mall to get the servants clothes that'll let them fit in. Saber Alter bankrupts a local fast food joint in the process.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait, I recently got swamped down by a lot of schoolwork.

"I refuse." Arturia coldly said, shaking her head. "That is idiotic and unnecessary. I could dematerialize at any time I wish so you have no excuse to parade me around."

The servant behind Shirou, who was writing down notes for the war at his desk. They weren't the real ones of course, but if he left them in an 'accidentally' weak bounded field then there was a chance his grandfather would be deceived when he found them.

Shirou left the concept of fracture attached to the process of prodding it just in case.

Shirou was frustrated. He needed his Saber to agree to this to have any chance of convincing Zouken to let him and Sakura out of the house without too many worms tailing them.

"There may be situations where that isn't viable." Shirou repeated again. This was going nowhere. "You have to buy modern clothes sometime, nothing we have here would fit you."

"I will not participate in such a foolish activity. Going to 'the mall' with so many is a useless endeavor. Send your milkmaid sister out with her pathetic excuse for an Archer, they can do such menial labor." She slammed her fist on the desk, disturbing Shirou's work.

Shirou was tempted to use a command seal to shut his servant's mouth. She could insult him as much as she wanted, but she crossed the line when she started demeaning Sakura. He wouldn't though, that would be entirely impractical. He only had three command seals and he felt as though he would need them later on to control his train wreck of a Saber. Also, did she really have to slam the table?

"What if an enemy master attacks her on the way back?" Shirou asked.

"If she cannot handle herself in such a situation then she deserves to die. I only stay my hand at killing her myself because she is of some use to our cause." Arturia shrugged.

Shirou felt sick to his stomach. _This_ was the King of Knights? Even distorted, that was cruel. He looked away from her in disgust. Even mages had more of a heart. Well, some did anyways.

"Our cause?" Shirou replied. "And what is 'our' cause I wonder? I only wish to provide my grandfather his dream of immortality," He pretended not to hear her incredulous snort, "What is it that you want?"

"That's none of your business mongrel." She stared him down before giving in. "If you must know then I suppose telling you won't affect much." She glared. Wait, was that a pout?

"Go on then, familiar."

"I want to save Britain from the ruin that consumed it during my reign. A different king may have done so, so I will wish that the blasted mage Merlin never decided to have me pull Caliburn from the stone." She looked more solemn now after explaining, and a bit sad.

"That said," Arturia continued, "we should get back on topic. You are not going with Sakura and Archer to the mall."

"Yes, I am." Shirou told her. "You will not stop me. I do not wish to use a command seal to force you to obey me Saber." He didn't want to force his servant to do anything. She may just be a familiar, but she also had feelings of her own. He was more than ready to of course, but it left a bad taste in his mouth.

Before his servant could retort, Sakura and Atalante entered the room and the purple haired girl sat down on Shirou's bed. She sighed in relief and stretched.

This was the perfect distraction. Shirou turned towards the two newcomers, swiveling his chair.

"Grandfather has given his permission for our outing Shirou. He even lent me some money to get food!" Sakura pulled out a wad of yen.

Saber Alter's mouth watered, a little tidbit that Shirou didn't miss. He grinned.

"I see. Tell him we don't need all that money, Saber won't be joining us." He was sure to be extra smug about it. "So we are going to that burger place right? The one where they have that one challenge?"

"Oh yeah, they said if you can eat four of their 'mega' burgers in one sitting then you eat free!" Sakura exclaimed, catching on to what Shirou was doing.

"Yeah, but each 'mega' burger is the size of my head!"

Saber snarled. "Do you really believe such petty tricks would work on a king?!" She looked furious, but couldn't stop the drool from falling out of her lips.

The three ignored her.

"Oh yeah, weren't you telling me about them earlier? They're the ones who cook their patties in bacon grease right?" Atalante chimed in.

"No, but it's a lot similar." Sakura smiled. "They reuse the oil that they fry their pickles in!"

…

…

…

"Saber, what the he- urk!" Shirou cried out in pain as his head hit the table. Saber dragged Shirou to his door then threw him over her shoulder.

"We are going." She was trying to be cold, but the stars in her eyes betrayed her gruff tone. She was as excited as a child, brimming with energy. "Show me the way." She demanded to her master's sister.

Shirou wanted to protest, but he was a bit busy laughing his ass off. For all her posing, Saber wasn't too bad.

**X**

They had to drag Saber away from Out n In. She had not only taken upon herself to finish the challenge the shopkeepers set, but did so multiple times over. Saber had eaten a total of twenty three mega burgers and was ready to continue. The young teen at the counter, who looked younger than Sakura, had been scared to death. That didn't even begin to describe the shock of other customers.

It didn't help that they had not yet gotten modern attire for Arturia. She was still in her black plated armor, looking incredibly intimidating. Yet… it was fun. Despite the trouble she caused, Shirou couldn't help but enjoy his time with the tyrant.

He spent most of the time they were in the restaurant chasing after her, but the little time they did have to talk in between bites Arturia was almost nice. Almost.

"Could we split up Sakura, we don't have much time left after that. It'd be more efficient if we bought our servants' clothes separately." Shirou asked her. He wouldn't mind shopping with her, but they had to be quick or Zouken would be suspicious when they went on their little detour.

"I don't mind, where should we meet back up?" She responded, nervous hopefulness exuding off of her. She had her doubts of course, but Shirou hoped she trusted him.

"We should meet back up at the food court." Arturia suggested. She was promptly ignored.

"We could meet up at the church." Atalante suggested, giving Shirou a look. He had told her his plan earlier. Sakura wouldn't like it, and neither did she but if that's what it took to free the two she would allow it.

"Sounds good, we'll try to be quick." His hard tone reassured Atalante of her decision to trust him. He may be mature for his age, as all mages were, but in the end he was still a kid. She would protect both him and her master if it was the last thing she did.

With that the two groups split up.

It was over an hour before Arturia was even able to be convinced to enter a clothing store. She had refused to even consider going to Drew 21, Russ, or Coleslaw. These places really should be sued, how this discount mall stayed in business with so many obvious knock off stores Shirou didn't know.

However when they walked past Hot Topic, probably the only store that was an actual brand, Arturia was enthralled and demanded they enter. Not that Shirou had a problem with that of course, but was the legendary king of knights really a goth?

They entered the store, the apathetic twenty something running the counter barely acknowledging them.

Arturia went through the entire store before settling on an outfit that she liked. She tried to convince Shirou to let her go the rest of the day without putting it on, but he wouldn't budge. After paying they headed off to somewhere she could get dressed.

Huffing, she angrily stormed into the women's restroom. He could hear the stall door slamming as she got some privacy. He just waited.

After a few minutes she came out looking like a new person. While she was beautiful in a regal sort of way before, now she was breathtaking.

She wore a plain black blouse that fit perfectly on her. Her shorts, also black, ended at her mid thigh. For someone who was undoubtedly staunchly chaste, they were quite revealing. The shorts were held up by a bone white belt wrapping around her hips.

Though Shirou had to argue with her about it for a while, she also got a jacket. Servants might not be able to get cold, but what if his familiar got a cold, however unlikely that was?

Her jacket completed the ensemble, being dark on the exterior. The inside of it though was blood red.

"Are you going to continue ogling me master, or are we going to meet up with the others?" Arturia mocked him, a smirk on her face. At least she wasn't angry.

Her question got a few looks from those around them. If Shirou wasn't trained to control his appearance he would have blushed up a storm. She had called him master in a public place. He had told her not to do that damnit.

The glee in her eyes told Shirou that this 'slip up' was completely intentional.

He sighed. "Yeah, let's head out Arturia." Why were the women in his life so difficult? He knew he would have to deal with it eventually, he did need an heir to pass on his magecraft, but wasn't this too soon?

Once they were out of the mall and on their way, Arturia's expression changed. She seemed remorseful for some reason.

"You know I don't hold a grudge for all that right? It was embarrassing, but nothing too major." Shirou told her. He didn't want her to sulk all night.

"Shut up fool, I'm not so shallow as to not realize that." She replied. "I have done you a disservice in another way." She looked down.

"Oh? How so?" He asked curiously, he wasn't quite sure what she was talking about.

"I spoke harshly to you for the past few days, and I insulted your family. That was uncalled for. I sensed someone else's presence in you and made assumptions about your character." She told him.

Shirou froze. She couldn't have… While it WAS hers technically, even if she was from some different timeline. But why would that make her treat him rudely. Wait. Goddammit Merlin, what did you do to make her so pissed?

He quickly constructed a bounded field around them to prevent anyone from seeing or hearing them. He activated Avalon and felt the worms inside of him slowly go into a deep sleep to prevent themselves from being destroyed by the holy light. His proximity to Arturia made the reaction stronger.

She turned to him. She didn't have to ask him to explain, it was obvious she was at a loss for words.

"Emiya Kiritsugu," her face contorted in rage at that name. She may not be the same Saber, but she had some of the same memories. "Implanted Avalon in me when I was a child to keep me from succumbing to the flames of the Fuyuki fire. Now, you were wondering why I had traces of Merlin's mana around me?"

She nodded. She had been around the man for about half of her life, so of course she could sense it. Avalon masked the presence from Zouken, but it couldn't deceive its true owner.

"Well, I've been apprenticed to him for a few years now. He doesn't teach me everything he knows, but I've learned a lot from him." Shirou said.

She growled out something that sounded suspiciously like 'evil womanizing bastard', but Shirou pretended not to hear. After she calmed down a bit she explained why any hint of the mage of flowers angered her.

"I killed him in my timeline. It seems like he met a different fate here." She continued before Shirou could ask her why. "Adultery is a crime, one Merlin refused to cease. I didn't spare Sir Lancelot, why would I spare the man that doomed Britain by foolishly giving kingship to a child."

Shirou didn't know how to respond to that. Her self loathing was really at a different level wasn't it? He vowed that he would save her if he got the chance. Doing so was not only something Shirou felt would make him happy, but it would also improve team cohesion. He was going to need that if he wanted to kill his grandfather. Pain shot through his chest at the thought.


	9. Whats in a Mage?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shirou explains some things.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the chapter being so short, but I'll make sure to release the next part (which will likely be longer than usual) within the week.
> 
> Side note, how many of you are going to see Heavens Feel 3? I'm excited, I prefer Shirou with a UBW ideology, but damn did Ufotable do amazing with these movies. Top notch animation and voice acting all around.

They managed to catch up to Sakura and Atalante fairly quickly, apparently Sakura had insisted that they wait a couple blocks down from the mall. Atalante had tried to convince her otherwise, staying in one place for a long time out in the open was the last thing someone trying to stay low should do, but her purple haired master was adamant they wait for Shirou. Dragging the girl to the church crossed her mind, but she quickly dismissed it as impractical.

"So, you're finally here then?" Atalante asked the two approaching her. She turned her head to Arturia. "Nice outfit. It suits you, Ice Queen."

Salter grunted, not taking the bait. Arguing with her teammates wouldn't get her anywhere, even if that insult made her blood boil.

"I'm glad you're finally done." Sakura smiled at the two, walking up to Shirou and placing her hand in his. "Now that you're here, shall we go?"

Shirou nodded. "Yeah, lets head out. It's almost evening, so not many people should be around to bother us on our way there. He returned the smile and reassuringly squeezed her hand. She may not have shown it on the outside, but he could tell that she was worried. Even if that worry was completely irrational. Shirou had a plan in place, one that wouldn't go wrong. It couldn't.

The group of four walked down the street leading towards the church. From here, they'd just have to go straight for a couple miles to reach the holy building. They probably looked pretty strange to passerbys, with each of them in such different styles of clothes. Shirou dressed like an old man, Sakura like a regular teenager, Arturia like a punk, and Atalante like she was going to a formal ball. They still stood out less than they would if his servant donned battle amour, so Shirou still counted it as a win.

"Shirou." Atalante said, getting his attention. "There was something I was going to ask you."

"Oh?" Shirou raised an eyebrow. "What do you want to know?" Hopefully it wasn't about strategy, he didn't want to reveal his hand just yet even to allies. Who knew what Zouken could do with servants? Shirou knew his grandfather had intimate knowledge of the grail, far more than he should. Beyond that, the Matou family had provided the command seals that made the ritual possible. What if he could influence servants in some way?

"It is about your magecraft if you don't mind. I observed you practicing it this morning, before dawn." This earned Shirou a glare from Sakura. What? It was fun and a good way to get his mind off of things, sue him. He didn't need sleep, he needed answers about reality!

"What about it?" He asked, ignoring Sakura's sigh. She could lecture him later.

"Most of my companions were warriors, so I don't know much of magecraft. Forgive me if this is a stupid question, but what is the true difference between alteration and alchemy? I know you've described it as alteration being more for concepts while alchemy is related to properties, but what true difference is there?" Atalante said inquisitively.

Shirou looked around. No civilians were anywhere close to them, so the chance of anyone hearing them was next to nonexistent. He didn't want to have to get blood on his hands, clearing someone's memory took way too long for his plans so he would've had to outright kill them.

"Well, there's not exactly a simple answer to that question." Shirou explained, shrugging. "After all, there are numerous types of alchemy. What the Einsburns and the Atlas Institute do are totally different from both each other and my arts. Alteration is a bit simpler to explain, but like all magecraft it can vary."

Atalante nodded, motioning for him to continue. "I understand. Atlas is an organization with a similar purpose to the counter force, correct?"

"Somewhat, though not exactly. Their methods are entirely different." Shirou told her. "Anyways, the basis for alchemy is changing something physically into another object in a permanent manner. It doesn't create anything new, and a lot of things need to be factored into the equation of changing it. Which is why I use changing properties to achieve this, it helps me keep track of everything."

"And alteration?" Sakura added, already knowing the answer.

Shirou smiled at her, reminding himself to thank her later. "Alteration changes the general use, or conceptual characteristics of an object. Rather than turning lead into gold, it can make lead as light as gold or give it the ability to shine. That shine wouldn't be yellowish or bright, it would still be ebony just like lead unlike with alchemy." Shirou paused for a moment. "It is useful with alchemy though. Changing the concepts to be more like another object makes changing the properties far easier."

Atalante smiled. "Thanks for clearing that up kid. I appreciate it."

Arturia looked at him blandly. "Is that all you can do? I can understand the use of that for a researcher, but that sounds pretty useless for combat."

Shirou huffed. "I'm perfectly able to fight. Alteration and alchemy may not seem that useful, but I'm able to use it incredibly quickly. While there are people better than me at the act itself, I'm probably the best at applying it in situations like these."

His servant still didn't look convinced. "So, they are the only things you can do.

Shirou grimaced. "No, I also am great at structural grasping and reinforcement. I can do projection too, though I'm not too good at it yet. I can't seem to make anything that isn't related to sheaths, swords, or the fae due to my origin unfortunately."

Arturia relaxed, at least her master wasn't a novice.

"You have a triple origin?" Atalante asked, sounding impressed.

"No," Shirou denied. "I wish I did, but it's all counted in one origin. If they were separate, it'd be really useful but it's more of a hindrance for now."

Everyone fell silent for a while before Arturia begrudgingly gave her advice. "You should try projecting holy or demonic swords."

"Hmm?" Shirou hummed.

"Fae are adept at curses and blessings. Plus, swords usually have sheaths don' they?" She rhetorically asked. "So blessed or cursed swords would be a good common point between your origins."

Shirou was surprised, that was incredibly insightful. He'd have to try that out sometime. "Thanks Arturia, I'll do that."

She rolled her eyes. "Don't be so surprised, he may have been a fool, but Merlin taught me **some** valuable information. I needed knowledge of magecraft if I wanted to predict Morgan le Fey's movements and form a proper strategy."

That explains it.

Atalante cleared her throat. "Speaking of strategy, what approach are we taking to the other servants in this war master?"

"Well I was thinking that we should sit most of it out and let the others destroy each other, but what do you think Shirou?" Sakura, who had mostly stayed out of the previous conversation, spoke up.

"We'll d-"

"We will crush our enemies one by one." Arturia coldly demanded. "There is no point in hiding like a cowering Assassin class servant. We have the numerical advantage and we should press it while we can. Waiting will just encourage the weaklings to congregate." There was that cold warrior. Shirou had almost forgotten that Saber could act like that, with her showing her more tsundere characteristics for most of the day.

"That's not necessarily true," Atalante countered. "There could already be alliances, but those not built on strong bonds won't last a while. This is a war, they'll eventually turn on each other."

"And what if they decide to take us out before then?" Arturia replied condescendingly. "Will we just rely on mere chance?"

"That's not what I'm saying and I think you know that." Atantle said, frowning. "But I get your point. I still think gathering our strength and waiting for an opportunity would benefit us though."

"That may be true, but making our own opportunities is far wiser and more certain."

Shirou butted in. "It doesn't matter for now, just agree to disagree and we'll discuss what will happen after we're done dealing with this issue."

"What issue?" Sakura asked confused.

Shirou just pointed down the road. A few hundred meters away two servants and two masters were in the middle of a heated brawl.

* * *

_Shirou's Origin and Element -_

_Origin: Sword 33.3% Sheath 33.3% Fae 33.3%_

_Element: Sword 33.3% Sheath 33.3% Light 33.3%_


	10. A Mages Duel

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry for the wait. I said it would be released within the week, but it ending up being around a month. I'll stop with the promises, my update schedule will probably stay relatively erratic until I can make a schedule that works for me.
> 
> It's fun seeing feedback and ideas about Caster Emiya. I do have a plan on what his backstory is and how he became a servant will be but I might include some of those ideas in a more in depth origin story fic after I'm done with this one.

The distinct sound of a horse loudly neighing fearsomely filled the twilight of the quickly approaching night. Red and yellow flashes, two long spears were being swung so quickly that it was impossible to process either of them with the human eye. A plain, yet ornate steel sword blocked these two implements of war. A bright red haired youth madly grinned as, from horseback, he moved to counterattack and swung his sword aiming to remove one of his opponent's limbs. This truly was a fight between two legends of old.

Ordinary people would have cowered at such a sight, perhaps running away as quickly as they could. That would be their ultimate downfall. The two combatants desperately struggling to kill the other were servants, familiars of the highest caliber, and as such could hear a pin drop from a mile away. They were that powerful, no mere human could escape their grasp.

To the side of this monumental clash, there were two people facing each other, seeming to be completely indifferent to the bloody duel being fought only a few dozen meters or so near them. Shirou watched as they seemed to discuss something, perhaps deciding rules of before they tried to kill each other? They were foreigners, and by their attire they were from the British Isles. It wasn't unheard of to make rules like that in fights between direct flights between Clocktower mages. Most stuck to espionage, but newer mages of relatively minor bloodlines would occasionally book a room to spar. Following those rules throughout the entire match, and not trying to one up the other? Well, that's a different story.

Sakura opened her mouth to say something, but Shirou cut her off with a shake of his head. Even if she knew something he didn't, it wouldn't be worth it to reveal their location. Talking even at a low volume could just bring the servants' attention on them sooner, it was best to see how things played out first. Even worse, charging in would not only make the masters more likely to band together, it would also take away any advantages watching the battle from afar would be able to give them. The masters could possibly already be aware of them, since the group had entered an simple enclosed bounded field, one that likely silenced all inside sound, to hear what was going on. Shirou noticed an small intricate magic circle on one of the streetlamps, deducing that was probably the anchor. It wouldn't be in anyone's interest to destroy it though, so he ignored it.

Sakura curtly nodded in acceptance. She wasn't too happy Shirou silenced her, but could understand his reasoning.

Arturia shot her master a cool glare. While it was the smart thing to do, she didn't like it. Utter brutality could be just as effective as an intricate plan at times. Learning her enemies class, fighting style, and possibly even their Noble Phantasm would benefit them greatly.

Not that there was any question which class the two mystic servants were. The young adult on that bloodthirsty horse was clearly a Rider servant, though there was a slight possibility of him being a Berserker. His horse certainly fits the bill. But that was unlikely. The other servant, a man in dark green plate armor was even easier to identify. Wielding two spears, he was obviously a Lancer. She didn't know why, but she felt a strong pang of regret when she looked at him, but brushed it off. She always felt enormous regret over her past, regardless of what she'd done to him it didn't change what she had to do. She didn't recognize him, so her pain wasn't even helpful.

A low grumble of rage and pain rang out. The binding cloth of Lancer's yellow spear had been cast aside and was knee deep in a leg of Rider's horse. Shouting in a similar show of anger, Rider stabbed his sword out at Lancer aiming for the heart, but it was intercepted by his opponent's other spear quickly swinging around to deflect the blow. Lancer jumped back before Rider could get another attack in.

"Will you now dismount and face me on even ground Rider?" Lancer called out, entering a defensive stance. "I fear this will no longer be a fair duel if we are to face each other like this."

Rider's overwhelming anger dissipated as quickly as it had came and he laughed heartily. "Not quite yet, Lancer. You won't be able to catch me with that trick again, and old Bucephalus still has some fight left in him."

"Oh, and do you still believe you will be given a choice? The Lancer class really is made up of master lancers, so with your lessening mobility, my speed greatly outmatches yours." Lancer smiled, his taunt being in good faith.

Rider grinned. "Let's find out Lancer!" His grin dropped, his face becoming a bit more serious. "I must introduce myself though, it would be truly rude not to do so to a worthy opponent." His master, the lanky black haired man evidently wasn't surprised. He nodded to the servant before returning to his conversation.

"I am Alexander, the king of Macedon and one day ruler of all the world, from my homeland of Greece to Oceania!" He boasted.

Lancer nodded. "I can't say I understand the merit to your goals fully, but it is very honorable of you to reveal your name. It is an imperative step in any duel between heroes." He bowed. "I am Diarmuid Ua Duibhne, a hero of Ireland. I am pleased to make your acquaintance"

Alexander smiled. "That's really cool! I never bothered invading the west, but maybe I should have if it had legends such as yourself!" He paused, thinking something over. "I could use someone like you. Want to join my army?"

Diarmuid shook his head, looking slightly annoyed. "I cannot take you up on that offer, I already have a lord. I will not betray them." He looked over to the blonde woman with two command seals on her hand. He looked back at Alexander. "Even if she makes such unreasonable requests. I would be offended with your offer, but I can't help but think I heard something similar before."

Alexander nodded. "You would make a fine companion for a long conquest, whoever offered you that back during your lifetime must have gone on to have been an extraordinary conqueror."

"Shall we resume our duel then? Our masters seem to be close to some consensus, and we have some observers. I'd prefer to get our current fight out of the way before fighting them."

"I suppose we shall. It is a shame you will not join me, but admire your loyalty and bravery. Ready yourself Lancer!"

Sakura and Shirou heard the conversation by using their connection with their familiars to tune into their servant's senses, and were flabbergasted. Did those two idiots really reveal their true names so easily? Not only that, they just revealed that they both had done that knowing that the servants observing them were listening in! A knight's honor is one thing, but they should at least show some restraint! Why didn't their masters stop them?

Shirou slowly moved to Sakura's side. He bent down and softly whispered into her ear. The servants were probably to distracted to hear their conversation now. "It seems like they'll ignore us if we don't interfere in their battle. It is time to move on, we can make pretty good guesses on what information we don't have yet based on their true names and their personalities."

Sakura agreed quickly. "It would be hard, but we could probably sneak around the masters if we go down that path." She pointed to a narrow alleyway a bit further down the street from their hiding place in a section of bushes. It would take around twenty or so minutes longer to get to the church, but it would be more than worth it. Arturia wouldn't like running away from a fight, but she would understand that whatever Shirou was planning was more important. Atalante actually agreed with them, coming back to face the other servants later on was the safer strategy. She couldn't risk these kids getting hurt.

Slowly moving closer and closer to the alleyway they'd escape through, they were careful to hide their movements. Shirou made the soles of his shoes more springy and soft with a bit of alteration. Luckily, the two masters were still far too focused on their conversation to notice the quartet.

Or at least, Shirou thought they were when he slammed face first into a thin nearly transparent wall covering the entrance to the alley. His nose cracked with pain, it was probably broken. Since he had only walked into the wall, not ran into it that hard, the effect was almost certainly amplified with some kind of magecraft.

Sakura almost walked into it as well, but Atalante had noticed something last minute and had caught her before she could.

Shirou's nose cracked again, the effect seeming to continue even without direct contact.

He grunted in pain. This was nothing to what he'd been through when he used his grandfather's worms.

Arturia slashed at the offending barrier, cutting it straight through the middle.

Slowly, the wall melted away into a small puddle of see through liquid. It had the consistency of syrup, the ripples in the substance slowly moving from the center to the edges.

Huh… Shirou had never seen a potion do that before. He had to have studied a bit if he wanted to master any later form of alchemy. His particular type alchemy may be a different field than potion making, but eventually he would be able to make pseudo-potions with other liquids, or make potions out of other objects. Still though, he was relatively certain that this potion was rather unique.

"I hate to say it, but I told you so." A man in a black suit with a dark red scarf folded over his neck told his companion smugly.

"Shut up Sensei, it's not my fault these backwater saves are such cowards!" The young woman with blonde, drill-like hair responded to the jab.

"You should plan for every possible scenario. This was just one of them. Underestimating foreigners is a mistake, don't let your family's grudge with the second owner blind you."

She huffed petulantly. "I could've set up a better trap if I had time to set up my gems! Even the low-quality ones would have been enough."

The man was unimpressed, but stopped his lecture and looked at them.

Shit.

Shirou recognized these people from a list of people to look out for from his contact at the Clocktower.

He didn't know the identity of his contact, as he had been the one first contacted, but the information they gave was always good. Shirou just wished he didn't have to comb through the insane rambling, and weird "fourth wall breaks" that the useful data was surrounded by.

Lord El Melloi the Second and Luvia Edelfelt had seemingly decided to work together. And from how their servants had stopped fighting and had come up to stand their sides, albeit injured, things were about to get dicey.

**X**

Shirou gasped for air as he was sent flying back into a street lamp. His opponent's gloves were reinforced somehow. El Melloi wasn't able to use magecraft like this, how did he manage to do something like that?

Even though he got the drop on him, Shirou was certain that he could beat someone as weak as Waver Velvet. From what he knew of the first war, the man was completely worthless.

Said man walked forward slowly, eying his prey. "Is that all you can do? For someone from a once noble bloodline like the Makiri, you are rather weak."

Shirou gritted his teeth. He would show that arrogant bastard just how wrong he was. How dare someone from such a new family mock _him_? Shirou shook his head. Acting like his grandfather wouldn't get him anywhere. More importantly, what did the man mean by Makiri?

"I'm afraid you've got the wrong person. I'm Shirou Matou, if you want someone named 'Makiri' maybe check in Russia. That's not exactly a common Japanese name!"

Shirou staggered up, pulling his unique mystic code out of his pocket. It was currently in its knife form to make it easier to hide.

He flowed his magic through it, imagining it elongating and coming to a point. The weapon complied and transformed into a sturdy black spear which Shirou used to bat away a potion that was sent at him.

The moment it broke though, a flash of light erupted from the liquid and blinded him momentarily.

El Melloi took advantage of this, throwing another strong punch at Shirou's gut.

"So you do not even know of your family's history?"

El Melloi moved to rush Shirou again, but tripped up when Shirou turned the asphalt between them slippery. Shirou tried to take advantage of this by stabbing with his spear, but the lord just stepped out of reach carefully.

"I think I know enough. We don't really have records before we came to Japan though, care to enlighten me on whatever you _think_ you know?" Shirou was annoyed that there was a chance that an outsider might know something he didn't about his family.

Shirou rushed to a close-by bush, grabbing a few twigs and altering them to be sharp and aerodynamic.

El Melloi threw another potion his way, but it was shot out of the air. Shirou had turned his mystic code into a bow and was aiming at him. El Melloi ducked for cover.

"You are truly unaware. Huh, that's strange." El Melloi commented, still hiding behind the cover of a parked car. "Before the Matou were forced to move to this backwater, they were known as the Makiri. They were led by a 'Zelgen Makiri.' I researched this all after the last grail war"

Throwing a potion Shirou's way, El Melloi abandoned his cover to rush at Shirou. Unfortunately, Shirou had been expecting this and had prepared. The potion hit a wall of slightly more 'solid' air and fell to the ground. El Melloi gasped out in pain as an arrow pierced his leg.

"And why should I care? What does it matter?" Shirou asked coldly.

"Zelgen Makiri, one of the founders of the grail war, changed his name to fit into Japanese society better." Shirou's blood ran cold. He knew his grandfather was far older than he let on, but surely it was impossible for him to live _that_ long. "Zouken Matou."

Thats the last straw. How dare he lecture Shirou on his own family history in the middle of a battle. How dare he know more about his grandfather even though he never met him. How dare he?!

Shirou ran forward, quickly changing his mystic code to a sword. He'd gut that smug bastard!

He was too invested in the attack to realize his crucial error. He never took his alteration of the one section of asphalt off, and had completely forgotten where it was. Shirou slipped and fell face first onto the hard floor.

Before he could regain his bearings he was hit with a potion and went rigid. His limbs were locked and he couldn't move. He tried to send prana throughout his body to flush the curse out, but it was far too strong.

El Melloi sighed. "Was I this hopeless and temperamental back then? How did Rider put up with me?" El Melloi pulled out a dagger. "I don't want to kill you kid, it'd leave a bad taste in my mouth. But I can't afford to show mercy, this is a war and you made your choice."

Right before the dagger hit Shirou was pulled out from under him. Atalante had saved him at the very last moment.

Suddenly having to face two servants on her own, Arturia was unable to stop from being cut in the shoulder by Lancer's yellow spear. It wasn't a deep injury, but it would be a pain to keep fighting with. She gave as good as she got though, taking a few of Lancer's fingers and putting a deep gash in Rider's abdomen.

"We're retreating!" Sakura called out to the servants. Luvia tried to attack her, but ended up passing out from excursion. Gem magecraft wasn't very useful when your opponent could just absorb the mana from the gem before it was unleashed into a spell. "Head to the church."

Rider and Lancer tried to cut off their escape, but were forced back by a volley of arrows.

El Melloi was similarly stopped by the concrete of the sidewalk he ran on being turned back into a liquid. It quickly reverted back to its solid state, trapping the mage. Shirou had managed to send out one last spell from his paralyzed hands before passing out himself.

Thus, the first battle of The Holy Grail War ended in a draw.


	11. Surgery

Shirou opened his eyes, quickly blinking away any grogginess to clear his vision. The first thing he noticed upon regaining consciousness was that he was not dead. That meant that he wasn't near any fighting between servants or masters. They would've taken him out in a heartbeat.

The next thing he noticed was that his chest, legs, and jawline were rather bruised. Memories of the fight came to him quickly, giving him a small headache. Had he lost? How? How did he lose to some third rate mage? It was no secret that Lord El Melloi wasn't combat oriented, and that he was from some no name family. He had just happened to fall into his position by chance. At the least that was what the rumors going around the clocktower said. Shirou knew he was one to talk, but he genuinely considered himself a Matou at this point. With his above average magic circuit quality, and all the progress he had made towards getting to the root by understanding how concepts 'binded to' all matter in existence functioned, he was the essence of what a proper Matou are should be. Shirou should've crushed the young lord.

But that was not what happened. El Melloi had not only beaten him, but had beaten him without casting a single real spell. Shirou was specialized more in research than application, but he still should've won.

It certainly didn't help Shirou's mood that El Melloi had planned to kill Shirou with something as mundane as a knife.

Moping about it wouldn't help anyone though, so Shirou looked around him to get his bearings. He was too deep in thought before to really comprehend his surroundings. He was being carried which was insulting but probably necessary. He could tell that it was a woman carrying him based the slight hums she made while shifting around as they walked as if looking for enemies. What concerned him though was that someone was someone rather young based on how he didn't feel anything pressing into his side-

*THUMP*

"Dammit Arturia!" Shirou rubbed his head. "Did you really have to drop me like that? You could have just set me down instead of throwing me onto the cement!" He winced, pushing himself off of the floor.

She gave him a chilling deadpan stare. "I may have not technically been required to Shirou. However," she tilted her head. "I happened to have gotten the distinct feeling that you were thinking something rather unflattering of me, the strongest servant in this war. Care to say your thoughts aloud, child?"

He clamped his mouth shut tightly. Pointing out his servant's "youth" would not end well at all. He very much did not want to die today, thank you.

"You should probably just apologize to her Shirou." Sakura advised, unsuccessfully trying to hide a small smirk on her face. "I don't think annoying Arturia is a good idea."

He hung his head in shame. "I am sincerely sorry for my behavior, I did not mean to disparage you, your character, or any of your perfect traits in any way. Please don't kill me."

Arturia just humphed at him and kept walking.

They weren't far away from their goals, so they made it to the church in the next ten minutes. Shirou was still a bit sluggish from whatever paralysis potion had been thrown on him, but was more than able to walk on his own. He refused to take any help offered to him from Sakura or Atalante (Arturia didn't offer any aid herself for obvious reasons). He could do it himself.

The doors to the church were left unlocked, so the small group of masters just let themselves in through the unguarded front entrance. It was a bit unusual that the moderator was not waiting for them near or at the pew. The Grail War had started, so it was logical that whoever oversaw the grand ritual would be ready for visitors at the time where most of them would likely be active. There may be novices who would need an explanation of the basic rules and purpose of the war, or a master who had lost their servant may seek refuge. Those events may not be likely, seeing as no master has sought out protection from the church throughout history and novices wouldn't likely be able to summon something as complex as a servant, but it was possible.

Shirou ignored his all of his teammate's confusion though. He had a guess as to where the overseer might be and went up to an unassuming door on the back left of the pew. The registered priest who was put in charge of running the church was always residential in this particular building, regardless of whether or not a new one was chosen for the role. He knocked on it three times, waited for two seconds and then knocked again. Sounds of ruckus came from behind the door, whoever it was must have knocked over some things after being woken so suddenly.

After a couple minutes of nothing, a young girl in blue pajamas with pale grey hair and glowing golden eyes poked her head out of the room curiously.

"Did you get my letters Hortensia-san?" Shirou asked respectfully, trying not to scare her off. Or at least as respectfully as he could to a member of the church. He didn't like their dismissal and sometimes hatred of magecraft, sue him.

"Matou-kun, I take it you're here for those surgeries you said would interest me?." She walked out fully, the sound of her door closing echoing behind her. "I must say you're here sooner than I expected."

The crimson haired youth responded promptly. "Things had to be sped up. Zouken has been making significantly more moves recently. If I know the bastard well enough, waiting too long to handle all of this will only lead to disaster."

"Hmmm" She contemplated his reasoning. "I suppose that makes sense. You would know the costs of waiting too long to deal with him, wouldn't you?"

Shirou gritted his teeth. The brat hadn't been nearly as much of a headache through letters. Still a bit of one, but manageable. She had agreed to help him out after all, even if he had to reveal who killed her father before she had agreed to do anything.

"Surgery?" Sakura asked, cutting Shirou off from making a retort.

He grunted. It was probably better not to give Caren the satisfaction. She was just trying to get a rise out of him, he should just focus.

"To get rid of those blasted worms crawling inside of us." Shirou said with casual impunity.

Sakura gasped, Shirou wasn't using Avalon to block their conversation. Wouldn't grandfather retaliate? Even if they were in a church, the interference in grandfather's magecraft wouldn't be enough to stop him.

"Calm down Sakura." Atalante told her through their link, reading her thoughts. "While I understand your concern, I don't believe your grandfather would risk me and Saber finding another master so soon into the war. He likely believes that he will still retain some control over you in the end."

Sakura calmed herself. Atalante was right, she was stronger than this and knew it. Panicking would achieve nothing.

"Well, then we should get started. Just follow me this way, our church's humble medical wing is prepared for anything." She stopped for a minute, as if thinking. "Except for an attack from an exceptionally strong mage of course."

X

Shirou woke up in disarray for the second time that night. Luckily, this time it was due to being voluntarily placed in a medical sleep rather than by being knocked out. He groaned and pushed himself out of bed. He should be more tired than this even with Avalon working in tandem with Caren's skills, he should have been out for at the very least another couple hours.

Looking over, he saw the reason why Avalon seemed to work more effectively and efficiently than it should. His corrupted servant was sitting on a plastic chair next to him, holding his hand. She was scowling, but Shirou thought he could see faint traces of pink dusting her cheeks. He smiled to himself, before clearing his throat.

"How long have I been out?"

"Only a couple hours," Caren told him. "As far as I can tell, you are now worm free. However, the church grounds are not."

Shirou's casual smile morphed into a scowl. He lightly trembled. If the wards around the church had failed somehow and the old bastard had already found them…

"Fortunately, we can remedy this by moving on to Sakura. Implant the holy relic Avalon inside your sister and the process can begin."

Shirou sighed with relief, Caren was just being Caren. Dealing with her was like pouring alcohol on a wound, irritating but ultimately helpful.

"Could you not word it like that?" Sakura asked forcefully, her cheeks tinted red. "That's not very chaste Hortensia-san."

"Whatever could you mean Sakura?" Caren asked teasingly.

Sakura sputtered for a moment before glaring at the little witch.

Shirou stretched as he got up from the quaint hospital bed, motioning for Sakura to take his place. He then reached into his own chest, conjuring up the image of a golden sheath as he did so. Avalon responded to his desires and split itself from his soul. He firmly pressed the noble phantasm into Sakura's torso, the fae artifact instantaneously being absorbed into her in a flash of light.

Caren motioned for him to leave her bedside. Loathe as he was to do so, Shirou didn't want to get in the way of the person who would treat Sakura. He would do anything for her, so this wasn't that large of a sacrifice, He didn't even know why he was making such a big deal out of it mentally. It's not like he was in love or anything.

That would be weird. . .

Shit. This was neither the time or place to be thinking of things like that. Either way, he was her adopted brother. Even if the relationship didn't reflect that marrying your sibling is still illegal in Japan, blood related or not.

He excused himself, he needed to cool off and someone needed to be keeping a lookout in the lobby. Now that it was Sakura's turn for surgery Atalante would not leave the room and Arturia wasn't exactly subtle.

He was just worked up. It had nothing to do with the fact that Sakura would be naked during the surgery, really. Mages didn't get flustered over those things.

Not at all…

*Five hours later*

Caren wiped glistening beads of sweat off of her forehead as she walked out into the lobby of the church to speak with Shirou.

He had begun to grow impatient at that point and would have already burst into the hospital wing if it wouldn't have had a chance of hurting Sakura. If anything had been amiss one of the servants would have gotten him.

"So?" Shirou asked simply.

"The operation was a success." Caren told him hesitantly, lacking any of her usual snark. "However,"

Shirou didn't like where this was going.

"There were some serious complications that made this surgery much harder than it would usually be." She told him.

"What problems did you run into?" Shirou asked her, worn out.

"Well, for one, some foriegn objects in her body kept trying to possess me. If Avalon had not held their curse back as I inspected then destroyed them, I'd likely have fallen."

Shirou's exhaustion disappeared in an instant. "Is Sakura OK?" Getting a nod, he continued. "What the hell was inside of her? If she was cursed or possessed in some way, Zouken would have known. He may be the incarnation of evil, but something like that would have messed with his plans.

Caren just shook her head. "I don't know. All I could sense from the fragments was that the curse they carried is ancient, middle eastern, and connected to the Holy Grail. It also seems a bit like Saber, but not enough to draw any conclusive theories."

That rung a bell, but Shirou couldn't remember exactly what fit that description. He'd have time to think about that later though, for now all he could do was be grateful that whatever was wrong with Sakura was fixed for now.

"How much longer will she be out? I want to get moving to our new home base as quickly as possible."

"She'll likely be out until dusk." Caren told him. "Honestly Shirou, staying in a young maiden's abode for a whole 24 hours. You really are trouble, if I didn't know any better I'd say you were half incubus and exorcise you on the spot"

He flinched.

X

"Mistress Illyasviel, shouldn't you be out rampaging with Berserker at the moment? You have done nothing besides dance around in that ridiculous mockery of the Dress of Heaven every night since we got here."

A white haired girl, who looked as if she had just reached thirteen, twirled around the entrance hall to the Einsburn mansion in Fuyuki. It was the only place fitting besides the courtyard. She glared at her maid sullenly.

"This dress was given to me by my uncle, and I will NOT take it off until its purpose is served, Sella. I will not have you insult him or his brilliant work!" Illya continued, "And I don't need to rush to take out the other masters, let the vermin finish themselves off for a bit."

Her maid, the only one that served Illya ever since she got rid of Leysritt, just huffed. Sella knew that Illya could kill her in an instant too, but luckily Jubstacheit had ordered Illya to dispose of her. So, she could get away with speaking her mind a bit.

"You have no uncle Illyasviel, it is an insult to the Einzbern name to call the head of Matou something like that! We have a working relationship with the 'man', nothing more."

"I'm done talking to you Sella. I make my decisions, not you. Leave me at once." Illya told her icily.

Sella bowed and left the room as quickly as she could. Illyasviel may be forbidden from ending her life, but Einzbern homunculi could take a lot of damage and still survive.

"Soon "onii-chan"." She spat out in scorn as she continued dancing in a black dress with glowing lines of red spread across it. "Soon I will avenge my father."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if I got Caren's personality wrong. I haven't actually played FHA, so I'm just going off of what I remember from Grand Carnival and her Fandom page.


	12. Chapter 12

"Are you serious?" The man in red asked disbelievingly.

"Deadly." The young woman donning similar colors responded.

"I'm not sure what to say, that certainly complicates things." Emiya sighed in frustration. "I was hoping we could rope my younger self into helping with the taint on the grail, but it seems like that might not be possible now."

"I wouldn't say that," Rin smiled. "It isn't ideal that your younger self is so different, but he isn't all bad."

"Forgive me if I have a hard time believing that, Rin. It was a miracle that Sakura turned out so caring. Someone with beliefs as malleable as Shirou had at that age wouldn't stand a chance with Zouken Matou." He spat out the name of the Matou head with visible disgust.

Rin just hummed. "I see what you mean, honestly. When I first met him in junior high, he was quite the piece of work. Arrogant, closed off, but very manipulative. A "perfect" mage."

"So he's just a more competent Shinji then? Great." Emiya groaned.

Rin shot him a strange look before continuing. "However, he seems to have changed a lot since then. He actively takes the initiative to help people asking for nothing in return." Emiya raised an eye at this. "More importantly, he actually requested my help on something I find… interesting."

Emiya waited, Rin did always like dramatic pauses.

"He asked for me to connect him with someone who was good at spiritual healing, particularly one who could remove familiars."

Emiya's eyes widened. "Please don't tell me you didn't send him to Kotomine."

She glared at her servant. "Do you think I'm an idiot?! Why the hell would I trust anything important with that damn fake priest?" She huffed. "I sent him to the second best in the field. Well, first best now that Kotomine is dead."

"Wait, Kotomine is dead?!"  
"Moving on." Rin said, "The person I referred him to is the new overseer, so he should heave no problem using her services."

Emiya decided just to drop the issue of Kotomine dying, it was a headache. "What I can't understand is why you chose to help him." He pretended to not notice Rin's growl. "I mean, I know you're the most generous mage I've had the pleasure of meeting," that calmed her down, "But even you wouldn't do something like that without a reason."

"Of course I wouldn't, carrying someone less talented than me just isn't my style." She smirked smugly, not noticing Emiya's chuckle. "Ever since I learned that the Matou and Einzbern were working together on something, I've wanted to break that up. If Shirou does something without Zouken knowing, it's much easier to sew division."

Emiya paled. "Zouken made an alliance with the Einzbern clan, more specifically Illyasviel von Einzbern, correct?"

Rin nodded.

"Shit, we need to go help the kid."

"Why would we need to do that, I'm sure that Shirou won't be in any danger." Rin asked inquisitively. "I doubt he would have gone to the overseer just yet, it's too early."

"Trust me, if Zouken was active enough to make an alliance with one of the other founding families, he is doing a lot more behind the scenes."

"And that changes things how?" Rin asked.

"It means Shirou can't afford to wait, and that Zouken will notice when he makes a move." He continued in the same dead voice, "And that means Shirou has something much more dangerous to worry about than Zouken or whatever servant he summoned himself."

* * *

Illya woke up in her enormous bed, feeling a slimy lump on her left shoulder. She pulled down her blankets and turned her head to face it but was unable to locate the strange object she was feeling. However, she had felt something similar in the past, and so she knew what was going on.

What do you need, uncle?" She asked softly. "Is there something I could help you with?"

A grin plastered her face as she began to listen to her adoring "uncle's" plot. He had given everything to her, everything except the revenge she so desperately craved for Shirou's treachery.

"I'll be there, I can't wait!."

* * *

"Hey Sakura, are you ready to go?" Shirou asked her softly.

She nodded after sitting up on the bed, "Yes, I think I'm ready. I'm a bit tired still, but I feel better than I have in years." She sobbed out. "This feels like it's some beautiful dream, like it's going to go away at any second."

"It wont Sakura, I'll make sure you stay safe and happy for the rest of your life." Shirou declared with determination. "You won't have to deal with Zouken again after I kill him. And after that… maybe we can build something new out of the Matou name."

She looked at him, with wide eyes. "You mean you won't leave me after all of this is over?"

He nodded, a bit confused. "Why would you think that?"

"Well," she fidgeted shyly, "I thought you'd go back to being an Emiya. I'm sure your memories of your father are far more pleasant than the ones you've had ever since. It would be harder to attend the Clocktower without being the head of one of the approved non-European families, but you still could if you asked Rin for an apprenticeship."

Shirou shook his head. "I understand the sentiment, and why you'd think that; hell, you'd probably go back to being a Tohsaka in a heartbeat and I understand that." His eyes grew steely, "But for as much as I love Kiritsugu, I am a mage through and through. He wanted me to choose my own path, and I have for the most part. I still lack a dream, but the path to the root I have chosen is deeply linked to the Matou magecraft. Losing the resources being a Matou would give me would be foolish. Plus, I see myself as one at this point."

Sakura smiled softly. "I'm glad," she blushed a bit, "I don't want to lose you."

Shirou blushed too after remembering his earlier thoughts of romance, his face noticeably more red than hers. "Anyways, let's change the subject then. You aren't usually this meek." He tried and failed to make a joke."

Sakura deadpanned.

"Avalon! Yes, I need Avalon back of course." He stammered awkwardly. "I'll walk you through the steps, just do absolutely everything I say."

She raised an eyebrow.

"In regards to Avalon!" She softly giggled at his goofiness. Honestly, Shirou could be so easy to tease. It was one of her guilty pleasures.

The process went smoothly. Sakura was quite used to sensing and using magical presences in her body, so finding Avalon and removing it went by quickly.

When they were done, they left to enter the main chapel of the church. Their servants were waiting for them there, having given the two a moment of privacy out of consideration. Caren had gone back to bed, mentally and physically exhausted after staying up so long in order to complete both operations back to back.

She didn't forget, however, to remind Shirou to not clue any participants into how she worked with them. Doing so would only raise questions and reveal how impartial of a judge she truly was. That wouldn't be beneficial for either of them, so Shirou quickly agreed.

Moving to exit the building, Shirou firmly grasped Sakura's hand. He would not lose her, he had made a promise. He did not fully understand his ideal yet, but he wouldn't let any innocent die if he could help it. Much less an innocent person he cared for so deeply.

They had to walk for a few kilometers, but soon enough they made it to the edge of the 'yakuza district' of Fuyuki.

"Shirou, why are we in such a filthy place? I can practically feel the sorts of crimes that must be done here." Arturia asked him, anger dripping from her words. She wasn't the kind of king to tolerate crime back in Britain. Maybe she had made some mistakes, but she certainly didn't think clearing up the vermin was one of them.

"I know a guy here that is willing to offer us shelter for the next couple of weeks." He cleared his throat and continued before anyone could voice their objections. "He knows the situation. Not all of it," A wave of guilt poured over his face at that, but he quickly adopted a neutral expression to keep the explanation coming. "But he knows enough for this to be an informed decision."

Atalante was visibly annoyed, but nodded. "As long as he knows what he's getting himself up to and you made sure no other mages would find out about you telling a regular human, I have no problem."

"Would this man happen to have a hand in the activities around here?" Arturia growled.

"Yeah, he's actually the head of the Fujimura clan. His group mostly deals with keeping the local criminals in check though. It's beneficial for both sides of the law, so Raiga operates without much trouble." Shirou told her.

She softened a bit at learning that the group wasn't too nefarious, but it still bothered her to be working with such scum. If her master vouched for him though, Raiga must have some redeeming characteristics.

"Anyway, we should almost be there. The hideout is just around this corn-"

Flames.

Flames as far as the eye can see.

Shirou choked. He couldn't breathe.

Î̵̜̖̹̦̮͕̀̔̉͗͌̍̑̕͝ ̷̬̪̙̥͈̮͎̺͚͔̗̤̹̉͑̈͛̾̍̀̾̅̈́̀̐͝͝͝Ą̵̦͈̦͉̲̮̗̹̳͊̾̈́̓̋̊͒̿̑̄̌͘̚m̵̨͉̜̍́̎̇̾̃̽́͜ ̵̢̧̱̥͇̼͋Ţ̷͖̰̙̮̟̤̭̇̅̾͑̉̉͛̚͝ͅḩ̸̲͊̈̅̈͊͜͠͠e̶̢͓̫̐̇̆͊̀͂̄̄̄͌̂͠͝ ̶̧̭̖̘̮̱̮̬̎̾̊͐̀̾̈́̈́̀̉͝B̶̲͓̪͍͂͐͛̃̐͂̈́͂͒̆̿ō̴̧̨̫͙̼͙̥͔͉̫̥̬͔͍̇͗̓́n̷̠͍̅̔͂̂̃̀̑̏̄͐̔̓ȩ̵̨̞̲͔̤̩̋̃̆͛̏̍̒́͆̃̒́̂̓͝ ̵̠̿ơ̶͓̪̏̾̾̎̾̄f̸̟̪̫͖̠̲̙̲̲̖̬̊͜ ̵̡̮̠̣͎͖̘̘͚̀͛͜͝M̴̢͚̘͎̭̼̤̝̻̈́̆̀̎̐̔̇̚͘͜ẙ̶̛͓̪͎̪̳̐͛̇̈̔̿͆̃͝ ̸̜̗̯̥͔͙͎̫̮̥̜̎͐́͜ͅS̵̡̺͖̝̝͔̈́́̒̀͐́̿̌̉̏̕͝͝͝w̷̖̦̻̹͎̮̑͊̐̔͆̓͊̇̓́̈̃̂̚ȍ̶̰̈r̸̨̢̫̫̖͍̾̍d̷̞̪͕̭̦̮̫͇̬̩̪̝̝͗̑͋̓̔̾̉̌̔̀̚ͅ

"Shirou!" Sakura yelled. "I know this must be hard for you. But you need to get a hold of yourself!"

S̵̡̱̫͎̥̮͑́͋̊̃̾̚t̶͎̖̻͓̲̪̳̪͇̳͖̓͋̅̑̒͘͠͝ë̷̯̬̓̄̀̄̿̈́̑͘͝e̶̡̛̗̼̥̮̮͕͇͈̺̥͌͆͊͆́͘͘̚͜͝͠ͅl̶̨̖̘̥͚͇̝͚̞̝͈̺̜̈́ ̴̨̛͎̥̪̗̝͗͆̒̽͐̄̓̂͠i̷̛̛̯̐̀̿̇̉̿͊̾͂͛͌͠s̵̛̰̮͈̱̻̭̊͠ ̵̯̥͌m̵͙͎̹͈͎̏̚̚͜͠͝y̸̛̬̙̺̹͕͉̤̖͕̭͉͙͗̇̆̈́̓̓̓ ̷̧̧̤̲̭̱̦͎̪̒̏̈́́̀͋̎͆͒̈́̉̈́̿ͅb̴̞͙͕͔́̀͂̈̂̌̃̆͊̈́̿̀̚͝͝o̷̻͔̯̠̲̼̽d̶̛͍̏̌̋͋̾̚y̴̡̯̟̺̬̬͚̦͔̫͇̘̒̈́̌͆̀̈́̕͝ ̸̡̠̦̻̎̈͊ą̴̛͖̝̆n̶͚̣̐̈́͛̆̆͆͝d̴̡̧̩̹̲͈̙̟͙͈̳̠͂̒̊̒̆̃̽́͑̒ ̵͈̘̟͚̜̟͕̠̓̈̏̇̀̾̿͑f̵̡̧̪̰̟̊͗́̏̏̀͐̑̔̽́̓i̴̧͇̤̗̜͖̟̓̆͌͋̎͝r̸̛̯͗̇̔̋͒̔̈́̿͜ė̸̡̨̲͍̯̰͓̦̣̭̦̰͕̤̫̾͛̌̑͛̽̃͛͝ ̶̡̼̼̼̗̯͙̭̯̫̓͋̎͊̓́̎̽͗̕ḯ̴̡̪͕͓̮̹̜͙̳̗͓̞̠s̸̫̘̯̓̔̒̓̋̒͛̿̍̑ ̸̨̰̩̖̯̄̈́̾̍̅̑́̆́́͐͋̈́͌͠m̵̡͉̟͇̞̝͎͈̰̜̹̼̯̫̃̽͗͑̂y̶̛̤͎̺͖͔̳̪͙̩͇̯̞̳̞͌͌͜͠ ̵̘̂͌b̷̢̓̐̔̓́́̓͐̂͝l̵̥͖̆̊́̐̌͋̂̔̉͌̓̾̕ó̷̭̊o̷̢̡̥̙̤̞̞̙̬̫̖̮͇͋̾͗̽̂d̴̛̛͉̲͍͍̫͐͐͛̕̕͝ͅ.̸̢̱͈̼̘̬͎̻̤̜̺̥͙͍̈́͋͗̍̾̉͆̕͝

He couldn't hear her, or either of the servants trying to warn him.

̴̛͙̝͇̳̖̯̱̈̒͋̒̀͒̚͠ͅĮ̴͚͓͇̰̱̱̑́͝ ̴̢̧̊̔̅͂̾̕͝͝h̵͍̙͎̮͉̲̣͇͑a̷̦̹͉̖̿͑̃̓̑̓̚̕v̴̲̭̙͍̹̹̱͎̳͇̆̆́͘ͅͅe̶̮͖̗͓̰̮̹̼͓͎̞̪̮̜͕̅̑̈̀̽̓͠ ̷̬̼̥̖̐͐̀̾̒̈́̎̕̕c̶̺̗͕̭͚̬͙̰̳̜̬̪̀͗͗͆͆̏͠͠ͅr̶̢̢͈̜̘̣̤̙͖̲̬̫͑̐̊̕e̶̢̳̥̻͓͉̣͓͚̪̜̰̝͆̈ä̵̧̂́̆͆̉ͅţ̸̨͍̳͉̦̤̻̱̲͖͛̿̈́̊̐̈͌̔̆̀͂͒̀̓͘ė̴̳̳̝̓͂̊͛̓͛͒̽̊̕͝ḑ̴̦̘̯̤͚̩̞̞̠̖̱̀̂͛̂͂̏͒̃̍͒̚͠ ̷̨̨̩̎̀̆͗̓̂̚ơ̶͎͛̽̐̄̾̈̈v̸̮̣̲̝̞̙͙̭̫̻̈̌̒͋̈̉̊̿̕ͅę̸̠͙̼̰̺͎̹͚̻͂̎͠r̶̢̙͈̗͇̙̩͎͙͉̬͍̹̒͑̀̀̇͂̓̄͛̽͒͝ ̸̧̡̛̛̤̮̜̮̼͓̯͙͑̎̊̃͆͊͋̊̂̌͘͠ą̴̛̦̳̙̪̣̭̤̥̳͕̲͋̀̀̌̈́̽̆̍̅̽̿̀͠ ̸͕̻̘͗̊̀̎̾̅̀̇̋͝t̸̢̧̢̠̹̹̱̟̪͔̮͈̠͖͍̅͌̚h̸̛͚̤͑͐̊͗͒̃̉̎͂̽̍̑o̴̡̼͙̾͗̇̍̏̚u̶͓͕̠̣͈̭̱̞͉̞̤͖͆͌̂̋̑͗̄̓͜s̷̢̠͍̽̄͂ä̵̘̜͋̄̂̓̌̔͌͘n̶̖̯̪͔͇̅̋̔̇̿̃̇̈́̀͊̚ḍ̶̝̼̹̺̻̮̫͔͓̲̱̎̏͛̋̓͂̌͘̕̚͜͜͜ ̵̹̖̯̥̎́͆̓͌̏̋̈͐̏̚͝b̴̡̬͍̻̠͙̝̗͓͚̪̋̂̏̅l̶̨̮͈͔̞̺̜̺͖̰̻̂͂̽̆͛͒͜ͅą̸̛͚̦̪̳́́̾̉̇͗͠͝d̸̥͈͚̎͊́͌̓͐̑͌̈́̌͛͒̔̇ḝ̸̡̫̼̰͈̖̞̟̺͕͌͂̇̓͐̊͋̑̂͝͝͝s̸̮͓̪̦͖͎͉͕̞̹̎̈́̿̃̎͑̎̔̀͐ͅ.̴̢̯̺̬̥̩̞̄

He was barely conscious enough to dodge the flaming piece of debris flung towards him.

U̵̢͉̱̞͍͙̓̇̈̃̈́͌̆͜͝ń̷̢̪̫͚̺̺̯̯̮͚̻̈́̔̈́͋͛́̀̎̉́́̎ͅă̶͈̺̞̆̂́̓̐͂͆͘͝͝͠ͅw̷͍̖̖̆̃͑̔̌͋ă̸̬̱͕̭̭͚̪̪͂͒̂͒̓̀́̂͛͘̕̕͠͝ŗ̶͚̲̳̼̘̝̹̮̺͌́͊̈̂͒́̎̆͛e̴̡̡̠̱̣̬̘̭̼̼̥͍̓̈́̇̓̀̄́͒̃͑͠͝ ̴̫͑͑͋̈́͐̀̈́̂̇͆̑̀̚ỏ̵̡̪̺͍̥̯̆̒̕f̷̨̳̫̲̐͋͝ ̵̫̱͍̊̊̐͌͋̅̚̕̕ļ̶̢̰̗͚̩̽̊̌̏̿̒̉̈́̋͐͜ǫ̶͊̂̈̎š̸̢̳̖̭̙̘̮̽͋͠s̵͖̰̬͎̩͈͎̏̓͋̅͝,̵̛̼̈́̅͛̀͑̋̉̅͠͝ ǹ̵̡̺̜̠̝̩͙̟͚̻̲̜̟̥̈̂̊̉͒ỏ̵͚͆̐̓͋̚r̷̡̠͈͍̲͓̞͈̹͐̊́̂̿̽ ̵͈̗̪̦̳̤̯̜͎̂̋͛́͆͊̑̏̀̈́ä̴̛͕̣̤͂̇͛͊̄̊͂w̵̙̙̫̾͛̂̚͜ā̵̢̛͓͕̣͍̼͔̝̾̔̈͐͒̈́̏r̷̲̉̋̊̅̐͌̑̒͆̅̇e̴̳̫̮̮̗͓͙̯̻̜͍͇͈̅̍͛̌̍̋͆̈͑̕͝ͅͅ ̸̡̢͖̪͎͇̭̗̩̥̒̋͐̆̍̑̌͑̅̆̓̀̕͝ő̵͖̳̪͚̤̹̠͐͝ͅf̴͖͍͖͔̹̫̫̜̭̳̱̤̟̗̙̈́̍̃̑̾͌ ̸̲̜̻̞̞̋̌̉̌̈́̔͐̓̐̃͌̕͝g̷̛̠̯͙̘͖̐̔̈́̈́̀͊́͑a̵̩̼̩̳̘͛̏̿͊̔͆̀̅͐̆͑͌̏͘͜͝in̷̤̺̞̗̠͉̊̓͗͌

He didn't manage to dodge the next one.

W̷̧̙̖̬̥͙͕̙͔̹̳̘̜̄̄́͐̀̀͌͜i̶̺͎̖͔̽̾̊̐̄̈́̾̚ṭ̵͇̠͍͙̝̹͉̦̘͖͎̫͛̎̈́ͅh̵̢̛͓͚̘͈̥̙̹̻̳̭̍͒̂̔̔͂̐̀̃͆ͅś̸͎̜̬̜͔̻̜̆̃͂͊̏̎͂́̐̈́̕͝t̸̡̰̜͍̯̳̯͙̑͒̽̒̑̃͗̿̍̽̊̂̆͜ͅo̵̢̻̘̲̠̩͌̌̕ͅở̸̖͎̻̽̒̇̊̃̇́̈́̉͐͑̚͝d̷̨̧̟̥̦̬̥͉͎͚́̊́̔̽̓́̑̔͒͌̇̓̈́̚ ̵̨̦̙̭̥̪̮̙̃͑̌̌̆͛̾̂̇̄̾͋͊͝͝p̵̡͙̳̼͙̄̓ȧ̵̡̡̡̛̞̯̞̩̬͍̗̲̣̎͗̊̒̈́̉̅̾̚i̴̮̝̥̠̯͚̱̹̗͍̳̯̅̅̇̒̽̊́̚͜͠n̸̩͓̣̦̏̀̈̆͐̃͋͊͋͆̎͝ ̵̬̩̤͍͉̑̑͗t̶̨̨̘̥͉̼̟̹̙̹̝͔̆̚ͅő̷̟͈̄̇̃̃̉͊̈́͛͌̅͝ ̶̛̛̼̙̯̻̻̗̝̭͈̜͍̺̪͉̿̍̅̉̃̎̈́͒͂̎̀̕c̴̳̼̻͙̺̜̙͓͖̻̘͙̓͛ȑ̵̩̩͊̈́͐̽͒͌̓͂ĕ̶̛̞͔͕͍̬̽̉̀ḁ̸̢̙̊͐̓͐̿̋́̾̈́̂̓͗͘ṯ̸̢̜̮̣̩̬̙̍͊̔̽͑͂̔͘ę̴̢̦͉͖̜͆̽͌̋̄͠ ̴͍̞͓͖͊͊̋̉̉̋̏̽͌͂̕͘͝w̶̜̜̦̋̔͆̈́͊̔͝ĕ̵̛͓͙̙̫̩̲͆̐͗̑̀͋́̈́̇͋̒͌a̷͉͍̞͍͕̦͔̲͌p̸̡̭͎̱͚̩͎͑͐͐͂̋̉̋̐ö̷̧̭͚̪͈̭̬́̿́̕͠ņ̷̞͉̞̖̬̜̌̋̒͋͑̐̌̍͠s̵̠̺͔̞̮̈̆̒̎̓̿̇̓̀̌̽̅̕͝,̵̪̑̌̈́͆̔̄̈́̕̚͠ ̵̛͎͔͕̩̺͉͕͔̹̜͕̇ẅ̴̛̼̝͉̠̰́̍͋̑̅́͑͝a̵͎̖̩̘̲͎̗̝̥̘̗̞̞̓̍̀̑̋̆͌̋̀͠ï̵̭̣̩̭̝͚͓͙̜̹̖̓̎̒͌͐̆͛͘̕͝t̴̢̧̛̜͐̾̃̓͗̕͝i̶̜̼̲͒̅̽͊̍̌̎̚͠n̸̢̙̪̦̏͑̇̊͗̎̐̊́̀̓͋̐̕͝g̸̢̩̗̭̞̫̺̝̗̭͋͗ ̷̢͆͋̓̀͊f̸̨̡͖̦̭̪̮̙̜̜̗̓͊̊̈́͂̏́͆̚͝o̵͖̝̻̔̄̔͒̓̈̈̔̽̆̚̕r̵̩͌̅̉̽̈ ̵̧̩͍̣͈̟͈͚̙̣̯̄̏̀͌̅ó̵͍̼̖̯͆̏͑͝ň̴̺̋̄̂̏ȩ̸̧̘͎̝͕̙͍͎̮͚̌̒̈́͛'̷͎̬̓̑̃̄s̷̡̛͕̜̦͍̥͋͒̿̐̆̍̏̽̀͘͜͠ ̶̢̛̗̼̱͔͕̣̺͎̮̪̙̩̇̈́͊͂̂̊̿͂̆́̚͝͝a̵̳̖͌͋̽̈́́̀̋͊ŗ̶̡̡̛̺͔͍͍̝̭͍̫̻̭̥̅͌̃͂̀̅r̷̛̭̤̥͑̎̎̓̐̚̚͝ḭ̸̧̓̅̒͘v̷̛̟̖̬͔̊̽͗̀̏̀̎̽̔͌̏͘a̴̜͓͇̭̥̝͎̤͓̦̟̱̭̐̒̑̀̀̿̕͜l̵̛̥͎͎̮̳̲̜̜̯̾̅͌͒͠.̴̦͈͔̩͎̲̫͔͈͖͈̟̠̯͑̾̒͗̅͗̒̈͋̓̃̕͠͝

Arturia grunted as she picked her catatonic master up.

̴̨̲͖͙͓̺͎̣͊̀̄̇͑̇̂͋̅̉͘̚͜͝Ì̷̛̼̯̩͛͌̈̄͋͗̂͗̚͝ ̶̡̧͔̻̞̹̥̬͔̯̖͚̱́̂̑h̵͉̩̺̪̻͙̺̯͙̯̹̺̙̀̔͑͐̂͑͛͠͝ͅḁ̶̈́̋̀̎̍̄͒̌̚̕͝͝v̵̧̨͎̥̖̞̮͈̺̜̲͂̏͐̿͆e̵̦͙̪̾̆͐͛̊̈̎̏̾ ̸̢̻̮̰̗̦̫̩̃̂͐̑́̕͘͝ņ̴̡̘̜̹̥͌̊͋̋́̊̾͂̉̓̿͋́̕o̵̬̗͉̐̎̿͗͂̀͐͊̈́̐̒̚ ̴̡̧̪̭̼͖̭̩̱̿̍̊̉̿̽̋̅͛͒͘͝͝͠ř̷̟͑̈͆̈́͒̓̽̚̕͠ḛ̵̻͔̯̦̲̄͐͗͗͠g̶̙̻̮͙͐̒̂͗ͅr̸͔̈́͌͌̀̀̕͠ȩ̴͉̙̿̉̍͜ͅt̸̨̧͎̜̩́́̃̏̓̈́́̈́͛̕͠s̴̨̯͇͎̝̖̟̦͛̓̋͛͑͆̏̿̓̈́͋̕͜͝.̸̛̬̮̝̪̗͚͈͓̼́̆̍̿͊͒̾̋̅͛͌ ̴̢̺͚̖̬͍̫̗̟͗̂̔̾̆͒̄̉̌ͅT̵̛͉͖̙͍͚̣͇͈̰̞̺̑̏̃͋̄̎̎͜͝ḧ̵͖̜̼̺͓̺͍̺̠̯̱́͆͛̇ͅi̷̤̱̿́̾̓̐̀͝͠s̶̲̭̬̲̏ ̷̦̐͋̐͋̌̀̋̈́̄̾̍̕̚͠͝į̵̧̱͖͚̬̞̻̫́̔̈́̏̄͒̐͗͋͝͠s̴̹̭̣̭͑̀ ̶̨̋̈́̂̿t̴̛͔͓̝̽͑̔̑̇̑̓̂͠h̸̢̲͍̗̪̱̬̳͛͋̀̽͂̀͑̃̈́͠ę̴̝̬̜̦̘̖̱̌͂͛̈̔̑̅̚͘ ̷̢͔̠̝͎͔͕͠ò̶̟̥̥̦͖̤̲̣͎̝̤͔̤̻͔̾̆̾̿͊̃̎͝n̶̩̙̻̭͌̑͝ļ̴̧̰̭̜̗̫̹̂y̷̢̨̖͖͇̹̤̙͎̲͓͗̈̂͑̔̊͛̅͘ ̴̲̳̪̼͙͍̙̒͋̏͘p̷̢͖̜̤͔͓̲͕̰̃̿̂͐̍̄͑̋͒̿̽͝ǎ̸͐̆̇͗̑̔͊͘̕ͅt̸̻̝͙͚̩̖͖̹͇̖̼̟͂̈́̿̂̓͠h̵͓͐̑̇̔́͆̈̈́̃̐̒͂͊̓̐

Saber threw her master down for some odd reason.

Memories flooded his mind. They were his, they were not his. What the hell was going on? Finally regaining some semblance of consciousness, he looked up.

Atalante stood over a horrified Raiga Fujimura, battling what seemed to be a grotesque parody of a tiger. The weird thing was, the monstrosity was clearly in immense physical and emotional pain. Shirou knew who it once was. He knew what he had done.

Arturia was fighting a young woman, if you could call her that, scantily clad in purple silks. The enemy servant was giving off waves of malice, so deep and poisonous that no one could mistake her for human. That wasn't to mention her stood next to her, ruthlessly cackling. The surprising thing was that Arturia seemed to be struggling, performing at almost half her usual parameters, things weren't looking good.

But that was not what gained Shirou's attention. He was fully focused on the fight happening right in front of him. A sea of flying white and black falchions filled the air around two figures. One was a hulking monstrosity, bearing down heavily on the other whom was protecting himself with somewhat longer versions of the blades around the two. The blades around them kept tearing into the servant who Shirou was sure fit the Berserker class, but they didn't seem to be doing much.

Shirou noticed that the other servant, the one clad in red and black, was almost directly in front of him almost as if he had jumped in to protect Shirou from Berserker. That wouldn't make any sense though! Why would an unallied servant jump in to protect someone else's master?

But what he noticed about the servant made even less sense! The servant was

̷̢̧̟͎̟̖͈̠̼̌́̀͑͐͌̓͑̍̓̈́̋̈̔͜M̸̛̭̱͎̺̹̞̘̗̍̈̆͐̍͐͌̀͌͜ỳ̸̞̤́̐͋̓͛͋̀̀̑̇͑͌̑͠ ̶̥͈̞̟̯̤͗̄͂̅̾̐͛̈́͂̉̀͠w̸̡̨̠͖̳̭̮̺̙̞̥͇̖̭͗̄̉̓́͒̚͝ḧ̶̥̬̤̖̱̮͈̮̔́̉ǫ̴̨̣̪̩̰͕͖͂͂̒̎̀̓͌͗́͛͂̌͠l̷̤̼̟͎͚͙̘̤̾̃̑̓̊͛̿́͠e̸͓̞̣̗̩͓̟͎͖͚̝̹͚̝̓̈́͜ ̸̯͖͈̺̯͍̤͙̤͔͌̆̋̊̎̃̌́͋l̶͍͋͌̾̎̓͐͊̂̆́̀̑̾͝͝i̸̢͈͉̖̼͖͔̠̮͑̑͋̓̊̃̌̇̌̊̆͆̚͠ͅf̴̡̡̛̦̪̱̺̼̫̟̬̙͒́̋̒͂͆̍͛̊͘̚e̷̢̗̺͈̐͋̚͘͝͠ ̵̞͇̖̮͔͎̮͛́̌̽̅͗̈́̏̓̇̔̓̚͠͝w̷̡̻̦͕̼͙͉͍̗͓͔͈̝͔̟͛̂͋͛̉̌͛̃̚a̸̠̟̲̣̥͍̣̩̱̓͛̄̂̊̾̄̋s̸̢̢̱͚͉̬̦͍͖̤̜̄̅͘ ̷̰̦̞͎̟̖̜̖̟͙͚̬̮̔̾̃̊́̀̊̈́͑̈́͘͜͠Ư̷̻̺͖͓̄̎̿̇̽͆͂̍̓͗n̴̡̨̨̰̬͓̉̆̽͌̃̐̌͊̀͗̑̀l̶̟̟̘̙͖̩̻͙̇͆͒̔̕ḯ̶̢̫̯͕̩͈̂̆̊̇͆͝m̷̡̥̳͙̰̥͚̮̘̪͓̬͕͕͎̀͊͌̈́̋́į̷͎͍̗͕̯̙̹͕͚͔̰̪̪̈̇̓̈́̌̓͠͠ț̸̟͌͛̽̅͑̐̑̃̇͘͘͠ḛ̸̥̺̣͊͊͑͊͒͛̄̇͐̂̒̇̄̈́͝d̸̢̮̲̳̞͎̱̬̔̽̍̑̚ ̸͕̞̬͚͔̽̂͑͌͌͋͝͝͝B̶͈̣̞͚̙̣͗̾̀͌̈́͒̒̒͛̚ĺ̴̡͇̤̑̚a̸̢̡̨̢̻̘̙͓̯͔͇͍̩͋̎̂̾̚ḑ̵͇̹͙͠ḗ̴̱̹̭̣̑̚ ̴̧͓̆̊̂W̴̰̗̫̺̠̮̤̒̾͐̅̄̌̄͝ǫ̴̧̯͎͚̼͉͍̂͘͝r̷̡̛̗͎̦̝͚͚͎͈̘̖̹̣̂́̅̑̎̋͌̈́̎̀̕ͅͅķ̶̯̟̟͙̹̗̜̯̲̋́̂s̷̯̳͍͍̘̭̳̆̑͜

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> May have overdone it a bit with the glitched text.  
> This wasn't originally how the chapter was turned out, but changed had to be made for pacing. I had planned to have the Zouken, Shuten, and Taiga team and the Berserker and Archer situation happen separately. But I feel like having two fights back to back would mess with the story a bit.


	13. Emiya or Matou?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those checking out the chapter again - I'm sorry for all the problems included in the my first try. I may not be good at fight scenes, but that's not an excuse for the problems included. The chapter is mostly the same, but I've fixed up the problems and added new dialogue to the fight between Zouken and Shirou for context. An explanation for the decisions I made the first time around will be at the end of the chapter.
> 
> For everyone - I forgot to mention this earlier, but the fic is loosely inspired by Fate: Without Justice by Destrox. Check out his story if you haven't already.
> 
> I am looking for a beta reader for this story, if anyone is interested PM me.

_I saw hell._

_I saw hell._

_I saw the endless hells one path had led me to, how it had destroyed my soul and left me wanting to erase my existence._

_I saw the endless hells one me had chosen, how it had completed me and made me an almost functioning human being._

_I saw the life of the counter guardian EMIYA through the eyes of another me._

_I saw the life I would carve out for myself after a battle for the ideals of Shirou Emiya._

This is wrong.

What the fuck is wrong with me?

Why would I go through that, seeing how it amounted to nothing in the end? How I ended up saving no one permanently.

How I always ended up going to the same regions again and again, saving the same people.

Maybe it was right for the Shirou Emiya that wanted to be a hero of justice. Maybe he found happiness saving others while having a loving family, being married to Rin with two kids. Where he was a true hero rather than an executioner in life.

But it still ended the same. Their paths were different, and the Shirou that accepted his true role as a blade could go further in life and beyond it, but that didn't change the fact that he still ended up in the cycle of misery called being a Guardian. He didn't regret it, but every second was torture.

" _Shirou!" Rin screamed from across the chasm opening between two as the earth was ripped asunder by the shock waves the approaching danger. "Don't you dare sacrifice yourself this time! We still need you."_

" _Tell the twins I love them, and that I'm sorry for not being able to be there for them anymore. I know you'll raise them right though."_ A voice that both was and was not my own spoke. I slowly assimilated into his body further, being able to read what was going on through his head. Memories of his life flew through my head on autopilot, not distracting him from the "current" moment. ' _I can't believe I'm leaving them. I know I have to, but it's hard. Living without regrets is pretty difficult, eh Archer?'_

_With that thought, Shirou grabbed his large black bow, blunted an intentionally weak traced Hrunting, and fired it directly at Rin's stomach. It pulled her with it, sending her flying off into the distance towards home base a few hundred kilometers away in Poland. 'She wouldn't have quit trying to convince me to stop. One of us has to get out of here alive at least.'_

_He didn't turn back as he ran at a reinforced pace across the barren empty street towards the one that he had no choice but to fight, the crumpled structures of buildings around him. For his world, for his family, for his dream. He ran towards the one that had destroyed great swaths of Asia, Africa, and Eastern Europe in less than 48 hours, leaving no survivors. One not planning on stopping until humanity was extinct and all traces of it were destroyed._

_He ran towards Cath Palug, Primate Murder._

I tuned out most of the fight. It consisted mostly of him narrowly dodging universally fatal blows while occasionally firing off a noble phantasm. He obviously had a good control over his mana supply, able to use many weapons. Not as good as mine was, but honed by experience.

One interesting thing that he had done, however, was create a bounded field that let him connect with his reality marble easier. Not only that, but the bounded field had been imprinted with automatic directional controls for the weapons produced, creating a whirlwind of whatever mystic code or noble phantasm Shirou created.

I decided to steal that idea, maybe modify it a bit though, later on.

It wasn't enough, and he had nowhere near enough mana to set up and actually realized Unlimited Blade Works. Shirou could already feel his circuits painfully searing his insides as they were pushed to their limit.

_'This isn't good.' Shirou gritted his teeth. He was one of best battle mages, one who despite being a freelancer was respected within the enforcer department for his clean yet highly effective work. But he stood no chance against a beast of humanity, one that had already taken down what forces Alaya had sent against it. A truly world ending threat._

_Finally, running out of stamina, he got hit. The only thing that kept him alive was the sword mesh filling up his wound and the incredibly high quality armor he wore. He'd still die, but it would take a few minutes to finish him off. He got up, moving out of the rubble of a city around him._

_He breathed in and out. 'Dammit, I know what I have to do.' He really didn't want to. He really didn't. He would rather get vivasected_ _**again** _ _then do this. But still, even if it made him into someone like Archer, he wouldn't let his family die. He would damn himself to save the world._

_A claw swooped in, aiming for the final strike._

" _Alaya, give me the strength for one last move." Blue veins covered his body as the will of humanity accepted his call._

_His mind screamed in agony as it pulled up a construct he couldn't comprehend. Until now. Still, understanding a divine construct was not something mortals were supposed to do, even with the help of Alaya. Especially with one so devastatingly complex and powerful._

_A sword of blue and silver, golden orbs of light flowing out of it materialized in his hands. The memory of his servant aiding in the process if just barely._

' _I'm sorry Rin, if I ever get to meet you again, if this lands me in the throne of heroes despite my contract and I get sent back, I will make it up to you.'_

" _ **Ex-"**_

_He felt like he was cooking alive with the amount of mana flowing through him, his exhausted circuits screaming out at him in pain._

_He saw the hill of swords he was approaching_

_**caliber!** _

_A beam of pure light, the representation of the hopes and dreams of humanity tore through the countryside, destroying all in its wake._

_As his consciousness faded to black, Shirou smiled. He had won._

Honestly, what a fool… A brave, kind, selfless fool. One that I will never be, but one that I respect nonetheless. One that I can learn from, not to emulate in full, but…

It is close to what I wanted to be, I can feel it. But it still lacks something important. Something that defines the difference between Shirou Matou and Shirou Emiya besides their origin and magecraft capabilities.

Then I remembered.

_I remember the first hell that connected us all, and the man that saved us from it. Most of all, I remember seeing his ecstatic smile as he pulled us from the rubble. How he had weeped at being able to save someone, anyone. I remember wanting to have a smile like that myself, to be completely and utterly happy._

_I remember him adopting me and raising me like a son, treating me with kindness. He sucked as a teacher or a mage, but he was the perfect father for someone empty like me._

I saw what separated me from those with the name of Emiya.

_"Then I'll be a hero for you, just leave it to me!" He told his father, determined to follow the path Kiritsugu couldn't anymore. To live as someone who saved everyone, regardless of the fact that saving someone meant choosing not to save someone else. To try anyway._

And that's how both Shirou Emiyas lived, to their very deathbed and beyond it. They never forgot Kiritsugu, never let that night go. But it was different for me, rather than impart his dreams he begged me to find my own path.

I still wonder why sometimes, it makes me want to learn more about him. The life he lived, his regrets, the true extent of his ideals, and how he tried to implement them.

But I had let go. I still love Kiritsugu dearly, I'll never forget him. But I won't live my life for him, I won't just become a carbon copy of someone that came before me. That's not how anyone should live. Building off of past achievements and moving forward was the norm for magecraft, even as mages like those in the wandering sea tried to recreate past glories. And that's how I want to live.

It's not quite an answer as to what I'm fighting for, but it is a start.

* * *

Shirou now understood why Caster had saved him. And what he had to do to return the favor: run the hell away.

What was his other self thinking, always running into battles between servants? That was suicidal and more likely to get both you **and** your servant wiped out! Except for maybe in the fight with EMIYA archer and Gilgamesh, it was incomprehensible to Shirou how Caster survived his grail war. And that was with the memories of exactly what had happened!

But maybe that recklessness did hold some weight… Maybe he needed to be bolder if he wanted to survive this and win the holy grail war. And then dismantle the grail, now knowing how tainted it was he didn't want it. He'd only study the greater grail for a couple years before doing so. No point in wasting material after all.

Avoiding the new small car sized potholes now lining the street, as well as the fires covering the dry grass that was once the lawn of Raiga Fujimura's estate, Shirou rushed at Zouken, his hand starting to pulse with mana.

Moving to block it, Zouken had a swarm of his familiar's cover where Shirou was aiming. It would be troublesome if he had to create a new body for himself.

Zouken was caught off guard when, instead of attacking him, Shirou had slapped his hand onto the street light next to him. The light didn't grow brighter, but quite a few of Zouken's more moth-like familiars swarmed around it.

Shirou had reinforced the concept of attraction of small flying insects to the point where it even affected Zouken's familiars.

Of course Zouken could force them away easily, but that would require using mana he would rather use to strengthen his remaining familiars for a much lower cost then trying to fight against someone else's mystery.

He scoffed. It would make no difference in the end. Saber was already starting to slow down, as both the poison Shuten Doji applied to her claws did its work. The control he was taking over the treacherous Alter also helped greatly and would eventually overcome her. With Illya's help the Alter would be unable to resist the power that the shadow had over his, the influence of Angra Mainyu already present in the servant aiding in this.

Despite her high parameters, the servant struggles to fight against both negative influences simultaneously.

Zouken deflected the followup attack Shirou had sent him, using his mystic code as a mace to try to crush the bugs that made him up. It still destroyed a couple, but not nearly as many as he was aiming for.

Shirou grasped his faux arm, applying the concept of "one" to the worms within, fusing them. It greatly diminished the flexibility in that arm.

Berserker was pounding… was that Shirou? That was a surprise to be sure, how had his grandson made it into the throne of heroes? It was an alternate version of him to be sure, what with those flying blades and all, but it was still impressive that he could make it that far if applied correctly. It was a shame that his grandson wouldn't work with him, follow in his steps.

"Boy." Zouken stated dryly, the insects that made up his body separating and moving backwards towards the porch to dodge another blow. "You disappoint me." A worm tried stealthily burrowing itself into Shirou's ankle, but was forced away by a strong kick.

"Oh?" Shirou asked. "How so? Not living under your shadow? Not accepting how you treat Sakura? Not throwing away my goal to reach the root to further your's? I thought that 'ambition is expected of a Matou.'" He threw the phrase he once thought was loving encouragement back at his grandfather.

"I would have freed you from subservience to me if you'd had just accepted what needed to be done with the Tohsaka girl! Sakura may carry the name out of necessity, but she isn't a Matou like you." Zouken seemed angry. His words rang hollow though, for as sure Shirou was that Zouken may genuinely think that it wouldn't have ended like that. He was too obsessed and controlling. "Do you understand?! You were a successor! Once I ascended, I would have no use for the Matou name anymore, no more use for you!"

A full swarm of bugs descended on Shirou, intent on devouring him. They were almost too quick for Shirou to respond to. Quickly thinking on his feet, he altered the air in his immediate surroundings, taking away the heat and applying it all to the bugs around him.

They burst into flames, the heat concentrated so heavily in such a small place overpowering any resistances they had.

That sounded… possible… at least.

He would have loved that. It was everything he wanted, a ticket into the clocktower, eons of research, power, money…

But…

"I can't give up Sakura. I love her, and I couldn't live with myself if I let her down."

"I know." Zouken said, disappointment clear in his voice. "You have made your decision. I officially disinherit you, you no longer have any claim to the House of Matou. You lose all benefits, and are no longer legally able to use the family related magecraft that defines our house, as signed upon in the Geas of heirship."

Shirou's world fell apart. This was bad. Really fucking bad. If the Geas worked normally, maybe the dagger he saw in Caster's memories would have helped him. But it didn't. the Geas worked by tying the positives of being a Matou to it. It also worked as a legal document in the mage community. Zouken canceling it was devastating.

Immediately after Zouken had given the official notice of disinheriting, the insect familiars attracted to the street light swarmed back to him. The alteration he had applied had being weakened with the annulment of the official contract between the two.

In it, Zouken had agreed to bond a strengthening mystery to Shirou's magecraft when he was casting the Matou magecraft. Boons weren't his specialty, but their relation to curses and this specific mystery's connection to his legacy allowed this. It took a significant chunk of mana, but strengthened his heir until he reached the age where he was knowledgeable and strong enough for it to stop being too important.

Shirou had heard it was used to strengthen the nearly useless "heirs" that had come before him, but when applied to him had greatly increased his growth.

He strafed his way around the flying familiars attacking him, aiming to get to the porch where Zouken was standing in place scornfully.

He wouldn't be able to turn Taiga back even slightly with this decrease in power, which ate at him the most. He had versatility and good quality magic circuits, but despite being a prodigy he still was a high schooler adopted into the Matou family late. He just didn't have the knowledge yet. Atalanta would have to kill her, if she hadn't already.

"Not that you will get to live long enough to truly understand how much you have lost… Emiya.'' Zouken rasped out, his scowl morphing into a twisted grin at how distraught Shirou was to have to give up the Matou name and its privileges. "Illya dear" He called out across the battlefield, " She's been worn down enough now."

Even through the sounds of battle, Shirou could hear Sakura's opponent call out a simple phrase. "Saber, kill him!"

He barely dodged his servant's attack. Even then, he knew that the only reason he was still alive was because Arturia was fighting the black substance with glowing red lines that covered her body and forced her limbs to move in accordance to its wishes. He still had command seals, but they refused to activate.

He rolled to the side, his mace barely managing to turn the fatal blow into only something that took off a few fingers by shifting into a longsword mid-block, throwing his servant's weapon to the side slightly.

But before Arturia could make the final kill, a gem went off shrouding the battlefield in a red light. Each enemy servant, the worms that made up Zouken, and Taiga were frozen in place.

It was abrupt, and caught everyone but Caster off guard.

Quickly taking advantage of the distraction, coming from the now present Rin Tohsaka, Atalanta rushed around the battlefield. She knocked out the white haired Einsburn that Sakura had been struggling to defeat before rushing over and knocking out Arturia and throwing her on her back. She didn't have time to make any kills.

Caster walked up to Shirou with Rin. "This won't hold long. I reinforced the gem, but we need to go."

"Wait! Just one second!" Shirou rushed to Atalanta's side. "Please work. Please work." He reached into his chest cavity, pulling out Avalon. The artifact struggled to get through the inky darkness covering his servant, but as soon as it did the taint started to recede.

Shirou wasn't optimistic about getting it back until the end of the war, the taint still left visible traces and he couldn't allow his servant to go rogue again.

Berserker twitched.

With that, Caster grabbed a hold of both his master and Shirou, with Atalanta picking up her master as an addition to Arturia.

They fled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> An explanation for the bad decisions. I'm not making excuses, they were bad, but there was a reason I made them.
> 
> 1) Tracing Enuma Elish would be the more harmful to Emiya than Excalibur, and make it more necessary to become a counter guardian. I understand if you don't like that's how UBW Emiya ended up in my story, but its important.
> 
> 2) I really have no excuse for forgetting Caster has Rule Breaker. The Geas, and Shirou losing claim to the Matou family is important for the next arc, but it could have been done better.
> 
> 3) I also have no excuse for not explaining how Saber was taken control of. If I still didn't imply it enough this chapter (along with explanations for how Illya can do this in previous chapters) here:
> 
> The mystic code dress that Zouken made Illya is a mockery of the Dress of Heaven, allowing her to tap into the tainted power of the grail. It's not as strong as what Sakura could do in Heavens Feel because Illya was just a backup measure, but it certainly would allow her to take control over a servant that was already an alter. Especially one that had been weakened by poison. The stat decreases were from both the poison and Illya using the connection to weaken her in preparation.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading this chapter! Feel free to leave a review with your opinion on the chapter, I'm always open to criticism.


End file.
